Fake car makes room for a fake ASIMO to be your fake driving companion

You know, we're realists, and we know deep down that cars in the future are going to drive themselves just fine without a humanoid robot to grab the controls and peer out of specially crafted front compartments. Even if a humanoid was doing the steering, he'd probably just jack into the car's full complement of cameras and sensors, merely using his CPU to plot a course from his comfy charging bay in the trunk. But we want to believe. Designer Derek Chik Kin Ng has come up with this Honda concept (one which we're guessing has no official collaboration with Honda) that packs a nice little front seat for your 8th gene ASIMO. The bot can hop out of the car and help you on your errands, make casual conversation as you drive, warn you of upcoming hazards, or take over controls when you're in the mood for some SpaceChess2000. Only thing he can't do? Actually exist.

[Hazdaz Posted Jul 6th 2010 12:45PM]

R2 is that you?

[TPAYNE87 Posted Jul 6th 2010 12:50PM]

@Hazdaz

Lol... I wonder will it try to plot a course for the Dagobah system... And what is considered causal conversation from a robot. Because if it asks a question does it really care what your answer is?

[GregH Posted Jul 6th 2010 12:55PM]

@Hazdaz This thing is going to drive my car???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASoCJTYgYB0

[SolidSnake Posted Jul 6th 2010 2:08PM]

@Hazdaz
I see the stig in there..

[Win7GT Posted Jul 6th 2010 2:11PM]

@SolidSnake you probably meaned The Lord Stig. He became very nervous when somebody disrespect His name.

[Wolfticket Posted Jul 6th 2010 12:50PM]

Maybe having a humanoid robot driving the car will get over that irrational fear of a lack of control because no-one is driving.
There is no technological reason why cars couldn't be at least partially automated already, and it would be safer and quicker.

[owdee Posted Jul 6th 2010 12:56PM]

@Wolfticket

no thanks. i buy cars that are fun to drive for the pleasure of driving. maybe if i could turn it on and off so if i am in traffic, i can just let it drive itself then it would be OK.

[dark star Posted Jul 6th 2010 1:03PM]

@Wolfticket
as long as im allowed into the HOV lane with that robot....hehe

[Ken J Posted Jul 6th 2010 1:58PM]

@owdee

I thought people bought Volkswagens because they like working on cars :p

Que Demolitionman for best concept of future cars.

[Alv Posted Jul 6th 2010 12:56PM]

It's sooo fake, i wonder if you can also have your fake-boob-girlfriend in it too, i need aso a wig :)))

[Plazmic Flame Posted Jul 6th 2010 12:58PM]

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaybe in the year 2110, not any time soon.

[BuzzMega Posted Jul 6th 2010 1:04PM]

Asimo not need windshield.

[Kloc Posted Jul 6th 2010 1:07PM]

@BuzzMega Does R2 need a cockpit?

[JmHal Posted Jul 6th 2010 1:10PM]

@BuzzMega
until your expense best friend takes a rock to the CPU at 120MPH

[BuzzMega Posted Jul 6th 2010 8:19PM]

@JmHal Asimo young. Live forever. Not need worry. Duck good.

[JmHal Posted Jul 6th 2010 1:07PM]

But do female fake ASIMOs drive fake cars as badly as real female humans?

[Kloc Posted Jul 6th 2010 1:08PM]

@JmHal

I'd trust a ASIMO robot over my girlfriend any day. She scares the crap out of me.

[dardub Posted Jul 6th 2010 1:14PM]

Yes, it's about time they made accommodations for me. I'm tired of them making me walk everywhere.

[Generalissimo Posted Jul 6th 2010 1:24PM]

So... does this mean I get to use the carpool lane?

[JmHal Posted Jul 6th 2010 1:28PM]

@Generalissimo
not immediately, you have to wait for your asimo to become self-aware

[BratPAQ Posted Jul 6th 2010 3:43PM]

some trains are now programmed, they dont have a driver. i bet they can do the same with cars, just build tracks for roads, sensors for crossing pedestrians, complicated logic to plot course and make sure other cars are aware of the course and avoid collision. make the car follow traffic lights. sensors with other cars so it can maintain distance.

[DTJ Posted Jul 6th 2010 3:52PM]

And the Iranian version drives directly into infidels!

Thank you! I'll be here all week!

[kingu Posted Jul 6th 2010 4:35PM]

So you add extra weight compared to a "conventional" automated steering mechanism. Doing so, in a way that prevents humans from steering, and why should they, now that you have an automated car..? Either put the robot in a driver seat big enough for a normal person or discard the idea alltogether. Rather have a android with me lodged in the trunk or one of the other seats, maybe it could be the seat?

tl;dr way to ruin an otherwise good design.

[Eternal Density Posted Jul 6th 2010 7:15PM]

Something tells me this is fake.