Inside the Google Robocar [Video]

YouTuber jurvetson got to ride in one of the Google Robocars on and according to him, “it was thrilling.” It looks like a good time, anyway, and based on research of driving habits, autonomous vehicles aren’t really as scary as the idea of autonomous vehicles.

No need to look for a parking space; just let the car find one for you as you enter the building.
Two computers tucked into the trunk are doing all the steering, braking and acceleration by issuing commands to the drive-by-wire bus already designed into modern hybrid and electric cars.
The spinning LIDAR on the room maps the environment in 3D, including pedestrians and, in this case, traffic cones. A camera to the side of the rear view mirror tracks the road. Three radar in the front bumper and one in back also detect proximal objects. GPS, inertial sensors and wheel-speed monitors give feedback to the computer on the car’s performance.
Commute time is a staggering collective time waster, and Ford estimates it will escalate to global gridlock in the near future. Google’s Thrun estimates that autonomous vehicles could pack more closely together and achieve 2-3x throughput improvements from existing roadways, with fuel and pollution savings from the efficiency gains. And in urban environments, the largest amount of drive time is spent looking for a parking space.

Via Inside the Google Robocar [Video]

The Porsche 929

The Porsche Panamara is ugly. There, I said it! Maybe the guys at Porsche should have taken some notes from Designer Julliana Cho, because this electric concept looks like one hell-of-a car. This 4-seater has suitable comfort for long distance drives with the fam, but maintains the brand’s iconic fluid styling with some added severity and drama in the lines and contours that give it that necessary edge the larger Panamara needed to maintain sporty appeal. The catch… you have to share!
Tackling environmental and space issues, the designer imagines this concept as a community-share vehicle with a private feel. Members of the car-club could access a vehicle at any time from a central “docking” station where a variety of 929s would charge on a cleverly designed rotating parking structure. Personally, I want it all to myself.
Designer: Julliana Cho













Via The Porsche 929

Lamborghini: Aventador

"Lamborghini introduced the Avertador LP 700-4. To promote this luxury sports car a 3 minute “relentless force” commercial was made. Too bad almost non of us is the target group.

Via Lamborghini: Aventador