Tesla's frunk can be opened in under 5s using nothing but a screwdriver

If you own a Tesla Model S or Model X, beware of what you leave on the "frunk", as it can be opened quite easily in just a couple of seconds using nothing a but a screwdriver - and it's intended to be that way.

Tesla prevents crash by stopping before you could even see what was happening

Tesla is not using the 3D scanning (and very expensive) LIDAR units on its cars, but in some cases it can see even further that what you can actually see. Now we have a perfect example of the system that uses radar to see the car in front of the one you're following in action.

Nvidia shows its A.I. system driving a car

Nvidia may not build card but it sure wants all future driver-less cars to have their hardware powering its systems, and nothing better than to put it into action and show what it can do.

First fatality on a Tesla with Autopilot engaged

After the accusations that its autopilot isn't preventing crashes, we now have the first cast of an accident resulting in the death of a driver, cruising on his Tesla with Autopilot engaged.

VW losses reach 16.2 billion euros due to its emission cheating software

VW may have felt to be in total control for some years as it cheated its way through emissions tests, but it's now about to pay the price, and it's quite a heavy price: 16.2 billion euros... for now.

Automatic emergency braking as standard for all cars in 2022

There's nothing more annoying that being involved in an accident when you know there's technology available that could have prevented it. Thankfully, by 2022, all cars in the US should come with automatic emergency braking systems as standard.

Teslas get auto-pilot update that allows "hands-free" driving

While car manufacturers try to fix (and explain) their cheating on emissions tests others are updating their car's software to take them a step closer to the cars of the future. With its latest update, Teslas can now drive hands-free thank to the new auto-pilot mode.

VW caught cheating on cars' emission tests - faces multi-billion dollar suit

Looks like VW is heading into some rough times, and all because a small software trick that it was using to cheat on the emissions tests, giving much lower results than when in normal driving mode.

OwnStar can take over GM's OnStar vehicles

Just a few days after we found that roughly half a million cars could be remotely hacked there's a new exploit that can remotely control GM's OnStar system.

Nissa shows glow-in-the-dark Leaf

It's a Leaf, but of the electric kind. Nissan's Leaf may not have the amazing power (or style) of a Tesla, but it made all that irrelevant, with a glow-in-the-dark body paint that makes its car "magical".

Google driver-less cars are programmed to speed for security reasons

One could jokingly say that it isn't speed that kills you but the sudden impact if you hit something, if this wasn't a serious issue that kills thousands of people every year. However, there are situations when speeding can be safer... and even Google's driver-less cars are programmed to do it.

Navdy car HUD connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth

While some cars already use HUD technology to project information in the windshield, this is still rare - though this is the kind of technology most drivers wouldn't mind having; especially if besides the car info it could show information from their smartphones, like this Navdy does.

Android Auto uses video streaming to avoid obsolescence

Google wants to make Android safer to use while driving, and it's answer is Android Auto. But, are the slow evolving cars and the rapidly changing mobile market really compatible? If you won't dare imagining using a 4 year old smartphone, how will a car system keep up after 6 or 7 years? The answer is quite simple, and Google seems to have nailed it: video streaming.

Google Now tells you where you parked your car

If you're one of those people that have spend more time than they admit looking for the place where they've parked the car, then you'll like to know Google is about to give you a helping hand with the latest Google Now update. Besides telling you the weather, upcoming appointments and such, Google Now will now also tell you where you've parked your car.

Sure, there are countless apps that allow you to manually set where you parked you car (or using the simple trick of dropping a pin on Google Maps), but those require you to do it while in this case you don't have to do anything. Just keep in mind the system is not foolproof, and you shouldn't blindly rely on it (for instance, it will likely assume that bus stop where you left the bus might be your parking spot, or the spot where you stepped out of a friends car). But even so, it's one more reminder that might prove useful when your memory fails or when you're too distracted to notice where you've left your vehicle.

There's only one thing that Google should have done: to give you walking navigation instructions for that spot when you ask it: "Dude, where's my car?"

Land Rover creates a Transparent Bonnet to ease your offroad adventures

If you ever off road, you'll certainly experienced the fear of not seeing what you might be heading into, such as when driving over steep inclines, where all you can see is the sky ahead. Wouldn't it be nice to have a transparent car which would allow you to see exactly what's beneath? Land Rover didn't crack a way to make transparent metal (yet) but it gives us a glimpse of the next best thing: a digital transparent bonnet via augmented reality.

Cameras in front of the vehicle capture the terrain, projecting it into a wide-screen panoramic HUD in your windshield, overlapping the bonnet with the terrain underneath the car, rendering it virtually transparent.

How far from reality this system is? Well, aside from the fact of the panoramic HUD spanning the width of the windshield (which you could technically do with a well placed HUD projector, or a couple of them), my main concern is that such a system would only be useful to the driver. In order to make it look good, the projection would need to take into consideration the drivers perspective; meaning, the passenger sitting next to him wouldn't have a very nice experience looking at it - it would look completely "off".

But, I guess some smart minds at Land Rover will be working at fixing those small issues, as the concept itself is great! :)

Drift Gymkhana... in Two Wheels

If you like any sort of motorsportos, you've probably already came across amazing videos like the ones from Ken Block, master of "Gymkhana", where the only rule that seems to exist is: "no turn shall be turned like an ordinary driver would". (If you never heard of Ken Block before, I have one of his videos in the end of the post.)

These mesmerizing videos seem to defy the laws of physics, and no one can cease to be amazed by the sheer level of man-machine connection required to pull these stunts. But... if you think that's amazing in a four wheeled car, what would you say if you saw the same (or probably more) kind of control with two less wheels?

Yep, it's possible... and one can't stop thinking just how many falls these guys must have endured while perfecting these skills! (Or maybe there's just some kind special of people that are born this way. :)

Enough talk... let me show you exactly what I'm talking about.




And here's Ken Block in action:

Samsung Drive Link keeps Your Eyes on the Road

Google's Android already has a "car mode" that makes it simpler to use while driving, but Samsung decided to take it even further and presents us a new app that is available for its Galaxy S3: Drive Link. (Hopefully, it won't take too long to be available for other models.)

This Apps makes it even easier to perform the most common tasks people use while driving: playing music, navigating to a destination, and hands-free talking - as well as access other apps that have also met safety certification standards to be used while driving.

In fact, Samsung is proud to present this Drive Link as "conforming with the standards of the Japanese Automotive Manufacturers Association, one of the world’s strictest driver’s safety regulation standards" - though, as you'll probably know... nothing beats keeping your eyes... and your focus... on the road ahead.

On its home screen the Drive Link shows the time, weather info, as well as upcoming appointments - which include the address info if available, that allows you to easily set it as destination with a single touch. If your car has a MirrorLink infotainment system, you'll even be able to see all the info on your car own screen, as well as control it using your car controls. You'll also be able to access all the music in your smartphone and play it through the car sound system.

To keep you up to date while driving, Drive Link can also read you messages, emails and social network status updates, which by itself would be enough for lots of drivers around the world to give it a try.

The Drive Link is available right now from the Samsung App Store on your Galaxy S3 smartphone.

Smart Headlights Turns Rain "Invisible"

Although car headlights have evolved a lot in the past decades, going from simple "lamps" to more powerful and efficient Xenon HID lamps, and even LEDs; as well as adaptive lighting systems capable of changing the light beams to adapt to different conditions - there's are still situation where more powerful lighting doesn't really means better visibility for the driver: for instance, when its raining, with the light shining on the water droplets and effectively making it worse.

If you thought that a smart headlight system that was able to light the road but not the falling rain was something only possible in a science fiction novel, you'll be surprised that it's no longer fiction.

This system uses a camera to see the incoming rain and create a lighting pattern that is projected in front of the vehicle so that it keeps the falling rain "in the dark". The results are really amazing, turning an otherwise "wall of water" that blocks your view into something that you'll barely notice.

And we have to consider that using projectors as headlights allows for many other "futuristic" features; such as projecting information on the road itself (for instance, showing safe distance zone, or navigation information), and creating even more evolved adaptive lighting patterns (avoiding the incoming traffic, for instance) than what is currently possible with the traditional systems.

Augmented Reality GPS Navigation with HUD from Pioneer

If you're annoyed by not having a fancy Head Up Display in your car, that can help you navigate around your routes without having to take your eyes off the road, you might want to see what Pioneer is readying for launch with its new Cyber Navi augmented reality GPS navigation systems.

According to Pioneer, these will be the very first augmented reality navigation units with HUDs arriving to market next July.

Besides the camera that will allow you to have an augmented reality overlay on the navigation screen (over the real scenery in front of the vehicle), the Cyber Navi highlight is its translucid HUD screen that is installed in the driver's sun visor, and that can project high-resolution (720x260 pixels) images - and high brightness as well, using lasers to create its color images.

This system can display a virtual "route line" overlaid the real world, right in front of your eyes, as well as several other navigation info and map modes.

The only issue is that you'll have to part with about $4000 to get one of these Cyber Navi units, which might cause you to rethink if having that factory installed HUD option when you bought you car wasn't a good deal after all...

Anyway, I'm certain this type of technology will eventually make its way to most cars... some day.



[via engadget]

Justin Bieber's Chromed Fisker Karma

If anyone would have asked, Justin Bieber would definitely be the last person I would ever talk about here on the Internet Best Secrets. But proving that nothing is impossible, here he is, thanks to its unusual automotive choice. As if it wasn't enough to choose an electric Fisker Karma to show off its "eco-status", Bieber went all the way - bypassing all the expected "exotic" colors celebrities often choose for their cars - and having an entirely chromed Fisker Karma.

A car that apparently is in violation of California laws, not because of its glaring chrome job, but because of its surrounding "fuschia" lights - in California you can only have white or amber lights facing forward.

... More worrying: will this be the first of a long list of celebrities going "chrome"? (No doubt Google could certainly put this to food use to promote its Chrome browser! ;)



[ via TMZ]