It’s good to know that we live in a day and age where technology is increasingly making our lives safer. When you’re out on the road, OnStar keeps you ready for anything – from turn-by-turn directions to hands-free calling. OnStar is a powerful built-in technology available in most GM vehicles that connects drivers to a real person, 24/7. OnStar can even help out with almost any situation on the road, whether it’s a crash, medical emergency, or even a flat tire.
Now there’s a smartphone app that connects drivers to their vehicles. The OnStar RemoteLink Mobile App lets car owners control their vehicles from just about anywhere. When installed, the app allows drivers to do things like lock the doors, check on fuel levels, or even start the engine.
Check out this video to learn more about how OnStar can help, and visit http://www.youtube.com/OnStar to see what other incredible features are available.
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” Technabob received compensation for writing it, however, we only recommend products or services we find interesting or have used personally, and believe will be good for our readers.
Grumpy cat? He’s nothing. You know you are dealing with a real mad cat when you get stabbed by their ears in a back alley somewhere. That is apparently what this self-defense keychain is all about.
It turns out that a cat’s pointy ears are a pretty effective weapon. This keychain lets you carry around a very effective stabbing tool that looks like cat ears. Meow! Die! The cat’s face comfortably fits into your hand and it comes in several colors so that it will match your outfit. I’d suggest wearing red to match the dripping blood.
It’s available from Wicked Clothes for just $5.99(USD). It is cheap, deadly and shaped like a kitty. It’s also not available in a number of states or outside of the U.S., and you must be over 18 to order due to weapons laws.
Over-exposure to the sun is of course bad for your skin, but that’s not the only thing adversely affected by its rays. Man-made materials like plastic will slowly degrade when left out in the sun, so 3M has developed a new line of hard hats featuring a color-changing UV sensor that tells the wearer their head protection might not actually be so safe.
It’s a bold claim, but a Japanese company called Terumo claims to have developed a special type of sock that can stop shuffling seniors from tripping over low obstacles like rugs or the edge of carpets. The secret is a custom sewing technique that causes the wearer to feel an upward pull on the front of their feet, which in turn helps shift their center of gravity back towards their heels, improving balance.
Whistles can come in handy during emergencies and natural disasters. They’re especially useful in catching the attention of rescuers who might not be able to see survivors clearly because of the conditions. Unfortunately, not everyone walks around carrying a whistle in their pocket or wearing one around their neck.
The redesigned whistle by Park On-hee, Kim Myeoung-soo, and Jang Young-seo aim to address these problems. Aptly called WHISTLE, it’s a round, ball-shaped whistle that can easily roll into cracks and crevices to reach survivors who might be trapped under rubble.
They’re glow-in-the-dark, so they can easily be spotted by the people who need them – assuming they know what they are.
It is proposed that whistles like these could be dropped or thrown en masse into areas where people might be trapped. It’s definitely a good idea, and we’re not the only ones who think so, as WHISTLE is also a 2013 IDEA Awards entry.
It can be pretty dangerous riding a bike these days what with all of the texting, drunk, or just plain bad drivers on the road. Many of the accidents happen when a cyclist is hit from behind when taking turns or slowing down. Here’s a little gadget that may be a big help in improving biker safety.
Rearviz has introduced a simple solution. A wrist-mounted convex mirror accessory. It allows the user to see what’s coming up from behind and when it is not in use it automatically collapses into a wristwatch like base.
Just being able to see behind them easily will certainly help bike riders to stay alert and keep safe without bulky mirrors sticking off of their handlebars. RearViz comes in a removable arm band kit with a rotatable, collapsible, convex mirror. The Rearviz will sell for about $23.50(USD) for the standard model, or $37.50 for the “Classic” – which offers a more durable mirror as well as a medical ID tag pouch inside the armband.
Despite tremendous technological advancements over the last several decades, there are still numerous challenges which face the world every day. The Air Force has just launched a new website to encourage collaborative problem solving, and to create solutions which could someday be used in the field to help save troop and civilian lives or improve operational efficiency.
The newly launched website is called The Air Force Collaboratory, and it presents different projects which could use your help. The site introduces participants to situations which could use innovative technological solutions, ranging from search and rescue operations, to using quadrotor technology to autonomously navigate its surroundings, to helping to launch its newest GPS satellites.
Participating in The Air Force Collaboratory is open to anyone. You start out by watching a briefing video before joining a specific project, and then have access to research on the subject to help provide a foundation for your contributions. Of course, you’re encouraged to bring your own perspective and experiences as well.
The site then poses brainstorming challenges to stimulate ideas and encourages discussion among participants which may drive further research and development.
There are already some fascinating ideas that have been posted to this particular thread, including one submission that suggests that a set of quadrotors could be used to generate X-ray and thermal imaging to help locate trapped survivors and determine their medical condition.
Individuals on the site are rewarded with achievement badges for their participation, and the site offers real-time leaderboards so you can see how well you’re doing compared to your peers. There are even special achievements handed out by the Air Force project lead for those with truly outstanding contributions to the program.
The site is definitely a great idea, taking a cue from the popularity of crowdsourcing, and applying it to real-world challenges the military faces. But it goes beyond simple crowdsourcing and provides a truly collaborative experience where you work with real Airmen to solve problems. The Air Force just isn’t asking for ideas and implementing the best ones, they are working with the students step by step to bring these ideas to fruition. It’s also a great interactive experience for students and an opportunity for them to both contribute and learn from their peers.
If you’d like to check out the site for yourself and start participating, head on over to The Air Force Collaboratory now.
Mercedes’ vehicles have had night vision capabilities, and automatic object recognition, for years now. And while they can accurately recognize street signs, and other lifeless hazards, its only now that the company’s fleet—starting with the 2014 Mercedes S-Class—will be able to recognize living, breathing obstacles like cows, moose, and deer.
Nissan has announced that they will have self-driving cars available by the year 2020. Or more specifically, that they will have “commercially-viable Autonomous Drive in multiple vehicles by the year 2020.” Nissan has detailed plans to have availability across the model range within two vehicle generations and to launch a proving ground in Japan that […]
Ford has joined forces with Russia’s Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University for a three-year research project aimed at improving vehicle connectivity, with inspiration coming from an unlikely source: space robots. By studying the way robots interact, Ford hopes to develop its cars’ communications systems so that tasks like contacting emergency services after an accident will be performed even if the vehicle is damaged or the data connection is lost. What’s most fascinating are the so-called “mesh networks” which allow robots to maintain a flow of information amongst themselves and with their controllers on Earth and aboard the International Space Station in the event of a disrupted connection. This knowledge could prove useful to Ford in terms of improving emergency response protocols as well as vehicle-to-vehicle communications. To learn more, check out the video and press release after the break.
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