accidents
Latest
IBM researching intelligent, reflexive vehicles
Count IBM in as one of the many companies looking to skyrocket the cost of our future cars, er, protect our lives by developing must-have active safety systems that are sure to become the standard fare in vehicles of the future. Dubbed a research initiative to "equip cars with technologies that can help reduce traffic congestion and prevent accidents," IBM is looking into driver assist technologies that "exchange information with other cars and with the road infrastructure, take corrective action where appropriate, and provide essential feedback to the drivers to help avoid dangerous situations." These electronic reflexes are said to be much quicker than those possessed by humans, and while the team is not trying to replace the need for driver judgment entirely, it is hoping to provide adequate feedback to help the motorist avoid potential perils. No word on when IBM plans on ushering its marketing team into automakers' headquarters, but we'd enjoy the feel of personally steering and accelerating while you still can.[Via Physorg]
How to clean up water-damaged electronics: the rice bowl
Sure, you could meticulously disassemble and clean your water-logged gear, but why go to all the trouble when the help you're looking for is right in your kitchen? Rice -- not only is it nutritious and delicious, its absorbent nature can be harnessed to dry out your toilet-soaked gear, as one (un)lucky BlackBerry-wielding Washington Post blogger discovered recently when he dropped his phone in the worst-possible place. But half an hour with a blow dryer and a night submerged in a bowl of uncooked rice managed to get his handheld back up and running -- unfortunately, we suspect no amount of rice will absorb the lingering thought of toilet water in your ear whenever you're on a call.[Via Digg]
Nissan's Intelligent Transportation System adds pedestrian avoidance
Although Nissan's anti-drunk driving technology should keep the worst of the unaware from actually cruising down the freeway, certain distractions that we just wouldn't do without could indeed lead to a pedestrian-related crash. Thankfully for us, Nissan is on the lookout, as its Intelligent Transportation System is now getting an additional feature before it's even released. Aside from helping you avoid congestion and emit less fumes, the ITS will now be able to communicate with handsets via 3G networks and GPS in order to alert drivers of upcoming individuals. Of course, we have to assume that only humans within a reasonable line of danger will appear on screen, but Nissan claims that this technology will decrease the amount of car vs. pedestrian mishaps and "reduce road accidents particularly in a blind-spot situation." The automaker is currently collaborating with NTT DoCoMo and researching "what types of pedestrian data are most relevant to help prevent accidents," but unfortunately, the launch date for all of this in-car madness is still a good ways out.
DIY nailguns wrecking all sorts of havoc on hands
We typically take for granted that anyone with enough technical know-how to go out and tackle some of the DIY creations we've seen would also take extra caution when handling soldering irons, hammers, and other potentially hazardous power tools, but apparently, folks are throwing caution to the wind when concocting their own nailguns. We'll admit, we certainly didn't realize that home crafted, high-powered staplers were becoming all the rage, but according to a recent report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "injuries involving nailguns have risen 200-percent since 1991." Notably, around 40-percent of the 37,000 reported nailgun injuries last year were purportedly due to consumer negligence while not on the job, leaving us to assume that it's the haphazard consumers boosting the stats. Still, these issues pale in comparison to the mayhem we'd be dealing with if railgun equipment somehow slipped into local hardware shops.[Via El Reg]
Unaware Driver + Traffic + BlackBerry = Accident waiting to happen
We can imagine that almost everyone has been guilty of trying to balance their morning commute between a cellphone, traffic, and their favorite morning radio show. We know it's even more dangerous to drive with one knee, both hands on your BlackBerry, while you send your boss a message saying you are going to be late for the morning meeting. A Seattle man knows exactly what we are talking about as he caused a four car pile-up that involved 28 passengers on I-5 while playing around with his 'berry while in the express lanes. Thankfully, no one was hurt -- and let's face it, the guy could've picked worse places to do this.
UK drivers trust GPS more than their own eyes
We've heard reports before about the dangers of driving while under the influence of GPS, but it looks like drivers in the UK have taken trust of their navigation units to the extreme. Twice in the space of the last two weeks, we've seen reports of British drivers taking serious risks because they trust the info displayed on the small screen more than what they see through their windshield. In the most recent case, drivers passing through the village of Luckington have found themselves landing in the River Avon, by following a GPS-recommended route that pointed to a bridge that has been closed for a week. Despite warning signs on both sides of the road, and nothing but water straight ahead, local villagers have found themselves pulling an average of two cars a day out of the river for the past week. "When you ask what happened, they say, ‘My sat-nav told me it was this way,'" one resident told The Times. Meanwhile, the village of Crackpot (yes, that's really its name) has had to deal with drivers whose navigation systems have directed them to the edge of a cliff with a hundred-foot drop. So far, there have been no serious injuries, but drivers have found themselves stranded on a rocky path. "It's only a matter of time before something happens," said one resident. Listen, we like GPS as much as the next sense-of-direction-impaired driver. But we also do our best to use our eyes, as well. And if you don't, well, there's a village in England named for you, and it ain't Luckington.Read - LuckingtonRead - Crackpot
Startup's tech warns chatty drivers of upcoming stoplights
Necessity is definitely the mother of invention, so after getting hit twice in one year by drivers gabbing on their cellphones (only once as a pedestrian, thankfully), an understandably-peeved Demetrius Thompson decided to develop a system for warning chatters that they're about to approach an intersection. Since it's pretty clear that in-car cellphone use will never be completely banned, and that the "hands-free only" laws really don't address the underlying problem, the next best step would seem to be improving the attentiveness of those who insist on talking behind the wheel. Thompson's system would use already-available location data from GPS-enabled cellphones combined with information on the coordinates of local traffic lights to audibly alert the driver with a cuckoo clock-like chirp when they need to perk up and pay (more) attention to the road. While this is certainly an innovative and cost-effective method for circumventing legislative routes to tackle what is likely a widespread problem, the fact that Thompson's company, Global Mobile Alert, has yet to get any carriers interested in the system means that it will likely remain just a concept for the foreseeable future.
