Saturday, October 01, 2005
Advantures in drivingAt the Tokyo Motor Show starting in late October. Nissan plans to unveil a concept car with a cabin that can revolve 360 degrees. The Pivo is a three-seat electric car that looks like an egg on wheels, and the body can swivel in a complete circle while the wheels stay put. See picture at left and click to enlarge. Some "accessories" are probably not included in the base model.
The thinking is that this makes the car very easy to maneuver around tight spots and easy to park. It also doesn't need to go in reverse. To change driving direction, you rotate the cabin backwards instead of the entire car. The car also has see-through pillars and external cameras that display images of surroundings on screens mounted inside, all of that to reduce dangerous blindspots.
Nissan said that the above features probably will not be available commercially for another five to ten years. I like the ideas, especially the cute accessories, except for one other concept that Nissan is also testing for the first time on the Pivo. They call it "Magic 4", and it allows you to operate controls such as the audio and navigation systems by simply pointing fingers at a dash-mounted infrared camera without taking your hands off the steering wheel. For example, lifting one finger might turn on the radio, and two fingers might increase the volume. I am afraid that this is too easy to confuse with other finger gestures commonly used by California drivers.
- posted by Woofwoof @ 10:32 AM
Comments:
<< Home
Um, those are Japanese women inside that tiny thing. I'm a tall woman of normal weight, and I don't think I'd even fit into it, not to mention my 6'5' boyfriend.
Maybe they'll figure out how to make the cab magically stretch to fit normal-sized Americans in the 5-10 years before these features come to market? Then again, I don't think they have Mr. Fantastic on the payroll.
Maybe they'll figure out how to make the cab magically stretch to fit normal-sized Americans in the 5-10 years before these features come to market? Then again, I don't think they have Mr. Fantastic on the payroll.
# posted by 
: 02 October, 2005 04:41
: 02 October, 2005 04:41
Um, those are Japanese women inside that tiny thing. I'm a tall woman of normal weight, and I don't think I'd even fit into it, not to mention my 6'5' boyfriend.
Maybe they'll figure out how to make the cab magically stretch to fit normal-sized Americans in the 5-10 years before these features come to market? Then again, I don't think they have Mr. Fantastic on the payroll.
Maybe they'll figure out how to make the cab magically stretch to fit normal-sized Americans in the 5-10 years before these features come to market? Then again, I don't think they have Mr. Fantastic on the payroll.
# posted by : 02 October, 2005 04:41
: 02 October, 2005 04:41
Yay, an Alaskan reader. Welcome.
Believe it or not, the Pivo here is not smaller than many cars currently sold in Japan (like the Honda Today or the Nissan Micra, commonly used by Mom types for their supermarket runs). I am sure they can make larger cabins if they want. The innovation here, I think, is the body rotation.
Post a Comment
Believe it or not, the Pivo here is not smaller than many cars currently sold in Japan (like the Honda Today or the Nissan Micra, commonly used by Mom types for their supermarket runs). I am sure they can make larger cabins if they want. The innovation here, I think, is the body rotation.
<< Home
