Hasta La Gadget!

BMW has already clearly shown that it wants to make its cars as smart as possible, and it looks like that extends right down to the doors, which have now been smartened up with a little help from the Technical University of Munich. According to New Scientist, the pair have developed a prototype door that uses a range of sensors to detect any oncoming dangers, and work in concert with an accelerometer in the door to prevent it from being opened. What’s more, the sensors are apparently also able to detect the proximity of the object and adjust the resistance of the door accordingly — for instance, slowing the door down if you’re about to slam it into a lamp post. The current prototype does apparently have a bit of a problem when it comes to field of view, however, although BMW says that can be remedied with some added cameras in future versions, which could possibly be in actual cars in as little as a year — though it’s quick to point out that it hasn’t made a final decision just yet.

[Via Crave]

Filed under: Transportation

BMW devises smart car door that senses danger originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW is working on an intelligent navigation system that can build a driver profile based on his or her common destinations and routes, AutoblogGreen reports, in an effort to predict where the driver is going next without having to program the system manually.

The point is to warn the driver of upcoming congestion, construction, and other obstacles, even when the person already knows where they’re going and doesn’t activate the system—such as on a daily commute, a weekend trip where there may be less traffic, or a sports event where there could be a ton of traffic if there’s a game starting in a few hours. In addition, the system can tie into the car’s drivetrain and reprogram the computer so that the car uses less fuel, based on expected upcoming driving patterns, according to the report.

So far, BMW claims that it has improved the accuracy of the system from 30 percent to 70 percent, in terms of it figuring out what the driver is doing next. But it still has a ways to go, and there’s no word yet on when this technology could make it into production vehicles, the report said.

BMW’s latest iDrive system is actually rather remarkable, but even it will look aged compared to ILENA. Intelligent Learning Navigation, as it’ll be formally known, will reportedly pay attention to your daily driving habits in order to better predict routes and possibly even save a pinch of fuel. Details about the actual inner workings are still a bit vague (and German), but we’re also told that the system will include an intelligent feature that recalls driver preferences based on his / her Bluetooth cellphone. When driver A steps in and pairs things up, the seat will automatically move to their preferred setting, their favorite stations will queue up, etc; obviously, changes are automatically made when driver B steps in for the return leg. There’s no word on when this system is expected to leapfrog the existing navigation system, but you may want to hold back on that impending European Delivery trip if you just can’t live without a GPS that learns.

[Via BMWBlog]

Filed under: GPS, Transportation

BMW purportedly working on adaptive ILENA navigation system originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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