Nissan shows off bumblebee-inspired, crash-avoiding robot "car"

Nissan's already hard at work on some crash-avoidance systems for regular, human-driven cars, but it looks like it's not stopping there, with it now also showing off its BR23C robotic "car," which apparently takes its inspiration from the humble bumblebee. That comes in the form of the BR23C's laser range finder (or LRF), which acts like a bee's compound eye to detect obstacles up to two meters away within a 180-degree radius. When combined with the slightly mysterious crash avoidance system, that apparently lets the car react "instinctively" the split second it detects an obstacle and maneuver accordingly. Of course, as you can see above, Nissan doesn't seem to be quite ready to test the system with any human passengers just yet, but the company has some big plans for the future, with it aiming to cut its rate of car crashes in half by 2015 compared to its stats from 1995.

[Via Autoblog]

[uwaga dude @ Sep 29th 2008 3:31PM]

looks like R2D2

[Stiv @ Sep 29th 2008 4:02PM]

Um... not really.

[:) @ Sep 29th 2008 5:10PM]

Have you ever even watched Star Wars? Probably not...

[spaceb @ Sep 29th 2008 3:32PM]

Looks like a very expensive tissue box.

[White @ Sep 29th 2008 3:33PM]

i would crash into that.... thing.. on purpose. it´s hideous!

[Chuckles McGee @ Sep 29th 2008 3:59PM]

Precisely the reason why the BR23C will decide the single best way to prevent automobile crashes is to KILL ALL HUMANS.

[ac3249 @ Sep 29th 2008 3:44PM]

It reminds me of Robot 1-X from Futurama

[Stiv @ Sep 29th 2008 4:05PM]

Agreed.

Or maybe the bad guys from "The Black Hole" - you know... if they were white and shaped a little differently. Okay, not so much, but it still definitely doesn't look like frickin' R2-D2, I'll tell you that.

[HDG Mansur @ Sep 29th 2008 3:54PM]

Does that mean you could just sit back and enjoy the ride...like a bus?

[Hellaphunt @ Sep 29th 2008 4:14PM]

Or like shrooms.

[digiboi @ Sep 29th 2008 4:56PM]

Except that unlike that bus thing - it would go straight to your destination without stopping every block.

Binge drinkers rejoice!

[Hellaphunt @ Sep 29th 2008 4:13PM]

This thing would kill people trying to hug it during rush hour.

[steve.williamson @ Sep 29th 2008 4:21PM]

this looks very cool

[El Taco @ Sep 29th 2008 4:44PM]

...but Bumblebee was a Chevy.

[Sam @ Sep 29th 2008 5:57PM]

Is that you Robot 1-X?

[Jamma @ Sep 29th 2008 7:15PM]

with this and hoverboards, 2015 will be a good year for transport

[The Police @ Sep 29th 2008 9:10PM]

What an, uhhh, exotic concept

[egloskerry @ Sep 29th 2008 10:59PM]

It's like my own little robot!

[Mike @ Sep 30th 2008 1:59AM]

"up to two meters"? That's a typo, right?

[Joe P @ Sep 30th 2008 4:55AM]

Where... where do the people go?