Musical Roads

Growing up as a kid I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, and one thing my grandfather loved to do while he was driving was hit the rumble strip on the side of the road (where you are not supposed to be) and of course this would shake the car and he would yell “Wake UP!” I always found this to be funny, one probably because of the obscene noise it did make, and also because of my grandpa’s funny nature. As I grew older I came to realize that it was kind of scary that he was driving back and forth to hit the rumble strip on the shoulder of the road. But what if the rumble strip was brought onto the road?

The way it works is the road has been “tuned” to a certain speed a car must go, and also some have been based on a certain car’s wheelbase and tires to give it that almost perfect tune and sound. It seems to be a hit for kids, but the people living close to the road seem to not care for it too much. They must not like the same song being played day after day when they come home from work. I wouldn’t like it either if I had to listen to a poor humm of “The William Tell Overture” everyday after a long day at work.

I think that they should implement more of these though, maybe on two lane roads where people can choose not to drive on the musical path. Some of the roads have been complained about so much that they are being paved over.

The only thing that scares me is what happens when you want to rewind or listen to it be played faster?

Car Internet: Personal Safety

Many of us use Motorola products, most likely as a phone or hand held device, but Motorola is working on something else that is going to help connect you to the internet while traveling down the highway. Motorola is on the brink of commercializing their brand new WiMax module. This is a small card that allows automotive equipment makers to make connected devices that can receive broadband information on the road from the comfort of your car.

Most of us think that this has already been implemented in cars. Most information that cars are receiving is through satellite or radio networks that link up with the navigation within the car; most commonly in cars such as Acura, BMW, Cadillac, and Lexus. The problem with this connection is that it can only receive information one way, and must first download the whole database. This is proven when people search their navigation to find local fuel prices. When it downloads the database, much of the information is not needed and therefore is a waste of time and effort. With the new WiMax network it would only allow you to download what you need, making it more efficient and less time consuming.

Another feature that could be put into place that I found was quite interesting was that it could be a vehicle-to-vehicle network. If one car is broken down on the side of the road, it can alert other drivers coming up behind it or close to it that they are stopped. This is basically an early warning system for all drivers, and makes being on the road changing a flat or working on your vehicle much safer.

I think that implementing something like this would be great in all cars especially if it can make the roads safer for those in accidents or breakdowns. This could also help notify people of stopped emergency vehicles or police stops, and could ultimately save the lives of those doing their jobs on the road.

Car Tech

Many people in today's world of technology have come to know the name "Cnet". They have established themselves as one of the leading companies in reviews of today and tomorrow's technology. Cnet gives reviews on almost any gadget anyone could think of, and it is also a great tool for someone who is looking to buy a new phone, camera, PDA, or any other type of equipment, such as television or radio.

Most reviews consist of one, if not a few, short videos describing all the pros and cons of the product and have many credible people describing the products; some of which are the actual producers and designers of the new device. While I personally have used Cnet to do comparisons between different pieces of technology before making my purchase, I didn't know there was much more to the site than what they are primarily known for. Cnet has a large number of blogs for many different subjects in the field of technology. One that especially caught my eye while perusing through the different reviews was Car Tech. It is an up to date blog that shares everything from the small chimes you hear when entering and exiting a car, to the brand new hybrids and vehicles that are revolutionizing the industry.

This blog seems to be the mother blog of Automotive Advancements, it shares many of the same attributes and must be checked out if our blog here entices you. There is anything you can imagine in Car Tech, and is well worth checking out.

New Concepts Spark Great Ideas

Has anyone heard of Toyotas new car? I’m not talking about their trucks or their new hybrids but I’m talking about the new wheel chair! Yes you heard me right, Toyota has taking it to the next level with this.

It’s an upgrade that makes the Segway look like a child’s toy. The new ireal concept “car” is a masterpiece. It’s much like the couch on wheels that ever man dreams of. The ireal concept is driven and controlled with simple joysticks. And can go from a reclined position to an upright for its high speeds. Its high speed is 18.6 mph and while that doesn’t seem like much, that completely trumps the Segway’s measly 12.5 mph. It’s designed of light weight carbon fiber and reinforced with strong plastic. Unfortunately, it is a concept car so who knows when or if we’ll see this baby on the streets.

The Segway can rest easy for now because after all it still is a concept car. This is actually Toyotas second model; their first was called the I-Unit. That design was so crazy cool, but there was no way they could have made money off of those models. They were much to advance for this time but the ireal brings it down to earth a little bit. I guess there crazy ridicules design led to an improved elegant design. Don’t be surprised though if you see some of the on the streets in the next 10 years.

VIDEO

From A Distance

Winters in Indiana can be some pretty rough times. Most of us are forced to wake up an extra 20 minutes early to grapple with the nearly inch thick sheet on ice on our windshield. Then when you finally manage to enter your vehicle, you realize that the nickel sized vision hole you managed to carve out of the windshield just isn’t big enough to see out of. That’s when you just sit in your car and rev up the engine in hopes that you won’t have to go back out in the freezing cold praying you car will warm up soon enough so the defrost will melt the sheet of ice. Your butt is basically freezing to the seat as you drive and your hands are beginning to stick to the steering wheel! It’s just no fun driving to work or even school. But there’s a simple remote that solves all of these problems for us.

The remote engine start has the answer to all our prayers. It allows me and you to just peek outside the window or open the garage door to turn our car on. Using the same technology as the remote unlock button, this remote sends radio waves to your car’s computer giving it the signal to turn on. It then allows your car to warm up while you’re inside your hopefully warm home preparing to leave for the day ahead of you. You need not waste your time on scraping windows in the winter any more. The best part is that if you start your car soon enough your car will be nice and toasty, free from harsh winter air. No more fighting with ice or cold seats.

The price for this baby really isn’t bad. You can find fairly decent ones for fewer than 200 dollars and they last long too, so there is no wasted money. If the remote stops working it more or less just the battery from your over use of the nifty little device. I love using my grandmas because I think it’s so cool that you can start your car from inside your house or even outside just as long as you’re in the 20 meter range. However, there are just a couple of minor setbacks.

The only thing going through my mind while I was typing this is how clumsy I am and I would accidently start my car and it would be on all night. If you think about it, that would be terrible! It would drain your battery and leave your gas tank empty, neither of which is a good thing in the morning when you’re about to leave for work or school. Another thing that the remote keyless entry does is open the door for thieves. Hackers can steal the signal the remote gives off and they would be able to steal your car even easier than before. With a gadget like this, you have to be careful. But I certainly think that the pros out way the cons in this case!

Want you Want?!

Last week I was running low on all of my ideas for this blog. For some reason, half the stuff I write about seems to be just the first thing that pops in my head. I found myself asking my roommate and friends what they liked about their cars, but this week I’m curious to know what you as readers want to know about. Any good ideas are certainly welcome here!

Our blog “Automotive Advancements” has a lot to do with the technology of cars. Anything that improves the car whether that is via safety, luxury, or even fuel economy, we like to include in our blog. Personally I like to talk about little gadgets I want in my car, but I’d rather know what you as readers want me to write about. Do you want me to write more about specific cars? Would you like me to go more into alternative fuels sources? Or are so of you actually enjoying some of my gadget blogs?

Any who, I just thought I’d get input from the people who actually matter. Just message me, pull me aside, or comment this blog and let me know what you’d like to read about next. Have a good week, and remember how blessed you are because your grandparents had to walk uphill 5 miles in the snow to school and we get to drive.