Techno-Cool Cars

February 25, 2003 3:17 PM

Techno-cool cars include a fingerprint access system that locks out thieves and a heartbeat detector that sniffs out left-behind infants and pets. In the worst case—when a sensor detects a hostile life form, Star-Trek style, hiding in the car—the driver can hit a button that alerts the police. The truly paranoid, with access to a freewheeling aftermarket, might prefer to fit the button to an ejection seat. [via WebMonkey]
posted by dg (11 comments total)

If I had $80,000 to spend on a car, that Cadillac XLR would be mine. Not for the electrorhealogy thingy, but just cause it looks so damn cool. Also, no keys, it unlocks and starts with the mere approach of my pants, much like a well paid escort.
posted by jonson at 3:50 PM on February 25, 2003

Very cool post. I am always interested in what's new from the automotive industry, I somehow missed this. Thanks!
posted by riffola at 4:01 PM on February 25, 2003

I want one that has this option.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 4:02 PM on February 25, 2003

Interesting how the brake-by-wire Benz has a back-up hydraulic system. I think it will be a few years before people get comfortable with the direction the car industry is going.
posted by eddydamascene at 6:07 PM on February 25, 2003

jonson :

> it unlocks and starts with the mere approach of my pants, much like a well paid escort.

eddydamascene:

> I think it will be a few years before people get comfortable with the direction the car industry
> is going.


Anybody who really lusts after this kind of thing should run, not walk, and review the first scene of Robocop.
posted by jfuller at 6:27 PM on February 25, 2003

I agree with eddydamascene regarding the Mercedes.
The interesting thing is that people still trust mechanical contraptions more than the elegance of electrical signal transfer.
posted by spazzm at 7:11 PM on February 25, 2003

Anybody who really lusts after this kind of thing should run, not walk, and review the first scene of Robocop.

Was that where ED209 kills someone over a syntax error?

The interesting thing is that people still trust mechanical contraptions more than the elegance of electrical signal transfer.

As I understand it braking and steering control in modern cars relies quite a bit already on embedded electronics, but I think giving up that last bit of illusion of direct control will be hard, even if the solution is elegant. Verifying these systems is no joke, either.

Here's another interesting feature I found: IBM of two years ago was looking into developing a "driver workload" equation, which may be used to prohibit drivers from accepting cell calls based on certain factors such as vehicle speed and heart rate. (EE Times)
posted by eddydamascene at 7:54 PM on February 25, 2003

I find it interesting how car manufacturers used to take innovations made on the race track and integrate them into consumer vehicles. Now it seems that innovations in making the vehicle more "consumer friendly" as it were and taking away all of the road feel. It all sounds like driving in a few years will be blah.

Of course this coming from a college kid who drives a thirty year old British car.
posted by asterisk at 9:07 PM on February 25, 2003

I'm suspended on electrorheological goo
posted by pinto at 9:31 PM on February 25, 2003

Formula 1 is still the testing grounds for technology that will show up in your cars some day. Engine design, traction control, safety measures, tire tech, etc all seeps back into the consumer end.
posted by riffola at 9:58 AM on February 26, 2003

True, riffola, but asterisk is also correct in that new cars are simply boring to drive - generally the advancements coming from F1 today make cars safer, more fuel efficient etc, but not more enjoyable to drive. The newer the car, the less fun it is to drive it seems. I have come to the conclusion that so few people actually enjoy driving nowadays that the market is simply not there. Fortunately, there is someone who still build cars that are meant to be driven for fun.
posted by dg at 9:45 PM on February 26, 2003