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India’s lunar lander crashed within 500 meters of its target
In September, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) lost contact with its Vikram lander as it was making its descent to the lunar surface. If you were one of the people who guessed that Vikram crashed, you are correct. In a report to lawmakers, ISRO has confirmed that Vikram did indeed "hard land."
IndyCar will switch to 900-horsepower hybrid race cars in 2022
IndyCar just announced plans to get a little greener. Beginning in 2022, its race cars will be hybrids. They'll use a combination of internal combustion engines from Honda and Chevrolet and a hybrid system to produce somewhere in the ballpark of 900 horsepower. In comparison, current IndyCars race at between 500 and 700 horsepower.
Tesla and Luxembourg squabble over failed Model S braking test
Did you think Tesla could move past braking complaints just because it addressed the issue with the Model 3? Luxembourg certainly doesn't. The European country's testing and standards body ILNAS has put itself at odds with Tesla after conducting an unusually public emergency braking test (media outlets like Luremberg Wort got to watch) that compared a 2015-era Model S to a new Volvo S90.The Model S failed the test in spectacular fashion, according to observers, crashing into a dummy car (above) at just under 19MPH where the S90 could avoid it at 37MPH. It didn't look good for Tesla, but the company unsurprisingly took issue with the results.
Tesla rolls out Model 3 braking update to tackle reviewer complaints
Tesla is making good on its promise to improve the Model 3's braking through a firmware upgrade. Elon Musk has confirmed that a fix for the EV's inconsistent brake performance started reaching cars on May 25th. The update should reduce the braking distance by about 20 feet for "repeated heavy braking events," according to the exec. That's no doubt meant to help reviewers like those at Consumer Reports (whose less-than-flattering review prompted the update), but something tells us that drivers won't complain about anything that could help them avoid a collision.
Toyota will make automatic braking near-standard by 2017
Worried that you might not stop your Camry in time to avoid a nasty collision? Toyota is determined to prevent that from happening going forward. The Japanese car maker has announced that its automatic braking systems will be standard on 25 out of 30 Toyota and Lexus models, at nearly every trim level, by the end of 2017. It'll only be non-standard on the 4Runner, 86 (formerly the Scion FR-S), Mirai, Lexus GX and Scion iA.
Toyota is bringing automatic braking to lower-priced cars
You won't have to splurge on a luxury car (or a pricey option package) just to get a vehicle that will brake by itself in a crisis. Toyota has launched a strategy that will bring automatic braking to most of its lineup, not just premium rides. The technology will be a relatively low-cost ($300 to $635) option for just two vehicles at first, the RAV4 Hybrid SUV and Lexus' RX crossover, but the automaker hopes to have it available or included in "nearly all" of its models by the end of 2017. It'll be easy to find in the near future, too. The Avalon sedan is next in line, and a total of seven additional Toyota and Lexus models are on deck this year. Toyota certainly isn't the only company hoping to popularize smart braking, but this plan could be one of the most ambitious.
The government wants you to buy a car with smarter brakes
Autonomous cars may have been all the rage at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, but most of the tech showcased is still pretty far off. What isn't, however, are smarter stopping systems. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is adding crash imminent braking and dynamic braking support to its list of recommended advanced safety features for new cars. The former uses sensors to activate the brakes if a crash is imminent and the driver already hasn't. Dynamic braking support, on the other hand, increases stopping power if you haven't put enough pressure on the brake pedal. Like lane-departure and front collision warning systems, these features are available on some models already -- this move gives them high-profile attention, though.
New EU legislation requires cars to include autonomous braking system
While we're still a long way from living the fully autonomous car dream, baby steps are being taken. The EU evidently shares this dream, and has passed regulations that will require new cars to have emergency self-braking systems (known as autonomous emergency braking, or AEB) if they want to achieve a five-star safety rating. The systems can use radar, laser or video to detect when obstructions or pedestrians are present, and a recent study suggests that the technology reduces accidents by up to 27 percent. Commercial vehicles will have to sport the systems from November next year, and everything else from 2014. Safety aside, we're thinking that anything that can help prevent rear-ending our new ride, is definitely a welcome addition.
Wireless bike brake system has the highest GPA ever
Color us a yellow shade of mendacious, but if we designed something that works 99.999999999997 percent of the time, we'd probably round off and give ourselves a big ol' 100 percent A+. We'd probably throw in a smiley faced sticker, too. Computer scientist Holger Hermanns, however, is a much more honest man, which is why he's willing to admit that his new wireless bike brake system is susceptible to outright failure on about three out of every trillion occasions. Hermanns' concept bike, pictured above, may look pretty standard at first glance, but take a closer look at the right handlebar. There, you'll find a rubber grip with a pressure sensor nestled inside. Whenever a rider squeezes this grip, that blue plastic box sitting next to it will send out a signal to a receiver, attached to the bike's fork. From there, the message will be sent on to an actuator that converts the signal into mechanical energy, and activates the brake. Best of all, this entire process happens will take just 250 milliseconds of your life. No wires, no brakes, no mind control. Hermanns and his colleagues at Saarland University are now working on improving their system's traction and are still looking for engineers to turn their concept into a commercial reality, but you can wheel past the break for more information, in the full PR.
BMW left turn assistant uses lasers to help you avoid running people over
BMW continues to fight the good fight: making sure you hit fewer people with its luxury vehicles. The German automaker is developing a vehicle warning system aimed at curbing collisions caused by drivers making left turns -- a leading cause of accidents and motorcycle fatalities. The system, which can be enabled for vehicles making left or U-turns while traveling under 10mph, detects movements using the vehicle's navigation system and a single camera. Once a left turn is recognized, three lasers are used to scan for hazards up to 328-feet away -- if one is detected, the car will automatically brake and throw up corresponding alerts for the driver. The company is set to show off the system as part of INTERSAFE 2, this week in Wolfsburg, Germany. In the meantime, the rest of us will have to rely on things like mirrors and looking over our shoulders.
New WoW Model Viewer available
Yes, I went out and made a screenshot of a Worgen with two wolf-headed fist weapons. I did this via the latest iteration of WoW Model Viewer, freshly updated this Saturday, September 5th to work for patch 3.2. While it has a posted warning use it at your own risk which I thought I should mention, I should also mention I've been using it for the past half an hour with no harm and no foul. I've even been able to play with Trial of the Crusader loot. Go behind the jump to see a Worgen dual-wielding a Justicebringer and Reckoning. Not that I'm obsess with Titan's Grip Worgen or anything. Okay, so I totally am. At any rate, so far as I can tell, this version of the Model Viewer is stable and working with all current models.This update by Chuanhsing even fixed the issue I was having where all my models came out textureless. I have no idea what it was happening in the first place, but I'm glad to see it gone.
Virginia Tech students create "smart" brake lights for cars
It's only taken about a million years, but someone has finally decided that improvements are possible in automobile braking lights. Students from Virginia Tech have developed a new system that can show not just whether you're stopping, but if you're slowing down, when you're about to stop, and how quickly you're pressing the pedal. The concept uses an array of horizontally arranged LED lights -- when you begin to slow, lights in the center glow orange, after a certain threshold side lights turn to red, and if you're slamming on the brake, they'll all flash red. The team, led by mechanical engineering Professor Mehdi Ahmadian, has plans for the system beyond the lab, though they speculate that it will be easier to add them as additional indicators on commercial vehicles at first. If this pans out, someday soon we may all be tailgating a totally psychedelic light show.
Car modder repurposes Wiimote as accelerometer
Looking to collect a little acceleration / braking data on the cheap? Even if you're just scouting alternative uses for that oh-so-handy Wiimote, a recent project from klee just may suit your fancy. A proud owner of a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta managed to rig up a Wiimote-based tracking system that gathered information on g-forces, acceleration, turning, and overall speed, and thanks to a little Excel computation, the results are neatly graphed once the outing concludes. Of course, you may need a little help in the script writing department, by judging by the looks of things, most everything you need is awaiting you in the read link -- you know, except your own Wiimote and a Vee-Dub.[Thanks, Matt]
Lexus LS600hL's face detection camera, warning system get spied
Face detection on your average digicam may not seem that special, but strapping the feature atop your steering column can certainly make for a more enjoyable (and safer) driving experience. Lexus' new LS600hL sports a Driver Monitoring System, which places a detection device in front of the driver's seat that keeps a close eye on the orientation of the his / her face, and if it sees that you're peering off at the continually changing MINI billboard or checking out the overhead wind energy producer, it kicks into action. The system will send audible and visual alerts at first in an attempt to get your attention back, and can eventually "apply the brakes on its own" if the previous warnings prove futile. Moreover, it can reportedly "reprogram the steering ratio and amplify the intensity and quickness of the steering response" to keep motorists safe, but there's no word on whether or not a retinal scanner add-on will be available to automatically adjust user preferences depending on which driver hops in the seat. Click on through for another snapshot.
