Technology

The Nuance Communications technology uses a Siri-like voice calibrated especially for cars. Nuance says it will allow drivers to use more natural language, rather than having to mimic the flat tones and formal grammar of the standard satnav.For example, instead of trying to slowly grind out “send---text---to---John---I---am---on---my---way---home---now” you can just tell the system “send a text to John… I’m on the way”. Of course, Dragon Drive! (yes, there’s an exclamation mark) will also read you incoming texts and emails.Nuance says the product is the first to market that seamlessly integrates with cloud-based in-car infotainment systems and the car’s onboard. The company is also behind the Dragon Naturally Speaking software that has been leading in voice-to-text dictation software for the past decade, and more recently with Dragon Go for mobile devices.The US-based company says Dragon Drive! Will be on the market overseas before the end of the year in overseas markets. So drivers will be able to go on happily chatting away with their hands more firmly on the wheel – although possibly with the minds no more firmly on the task. 

Among 21 patents for Apple published yesterday by the US Patent and Trademark Office is a remote control that clips to your steering wheel.It looks remarkably like the thumb-operated click wheel now made familiar by the former long reign of the Apple iPod – before the crown was taken by the iPhone (now looking nervously over its little shoulder at the iPad). The resemblance is probably the mark of a particular engineer who previously headed up design at legendary Frog Design in California, who have worked with Apple since the early days, according to a report on PatentlyApple.However the patent details the remote’s faceplate as being completely touch-sensitive rather than rotationally, as the click-wheel was. PatentlyApple believes the remote control patent will mainly be used to develop interfaces for portable media devices, which means applications could also be developed to control future iPads – and whatever else Apple has coming down their clever line. Say bye-bye to factory-fitted audio, satnavs and possibly even telematics.The only problem we can see with this part of Apple's grand plan is that the remote is bound to get in most people's way as they steer. From that, we believe the position on the outer part of the wheel will change before it gets to market. Stay tuned. But don't touch that dial. 

Audi showcased three Q3-themed cars and a high-end sports e-bike - all aimed at the adventurous-types.The three SUV-based highlights of the Audi stage are the Red Track, Jinlong Yufeng and the RS Q3.The Audi Q3 Red Track is aimed at winter-sport enthusiasts. Built to endure harsh conditions, it features a powerful turbocharged five-cylinder 2.5-litre TFSI engine that develops 250kW and 450Nm.It gets the expected roof-rackery kit for ski and snowboards, but also features a set of roof-mounted lights – perhaps for a spot of après-ski snow bunny hunting.The Jinlong Yufeng – which apparently translates to Golden Dragon in the Wind, although nobody has explained why  -- targets beachgoers and surfers. Gleaming with yellow paint and interior that could rival the sun’s UV power for retinal damage, it carries a 2.5 litre TFSI engine with an output of 228kW.The RS Q3 concept is the powerhouse of the trio. Also equipped with 2.5 litre TFSI engine, it boasts a higher output of 265kW and broadcasts a sportier feel with a lowered stance, flared wheel arches and sharp bodykit.And for two-wheel fans, there’s the Audi e-bike. The electric pedal number – or pedelec – is designed expressly designed for show-offs, with some stunt trickery among its technical abilities.It weighs in at 21kg, which is a tank if you’re thinking Tour de France, but light for a powered bike (considering it carries a 5kg battery).Riders can use ‘Pure’ mode for normal peddle-power riding. ‘Pedelec’ mode utilises the electric engine, allowing a top speed of 80km/h. An ‘eGrip’ setting can also be applied to allow a twist-grip function for controlling speeds, allowing a maximum speed of 50km/h.But the ‘Wheelie’ mode is the one we want to try – and which might be the only way we’ll ever pass as a professional stunt biker. An electric balancing system assists riders when cruising along on just the back wheel. Leaning back or forward controls the speed while the bike’s computer manages the angle of the wheelie – allowing for seemingly effortless displays of posing. 

Police are warning that mobile phones and music players can have terrible consequences for drivers and pedestrians, after more than 40 people were hit by cars in NSW in a week.

The latest victim was a 76-year-old woman, who died on Sunday when she was struck by an SUV in a shopping centre car park at Mount Druitt, in Sydney's west.

 The spate of accidents involving pedestrians has prompted police to warn that using a mobile phone while at the wheel can distract a driver with fatal results.

"It is these momentary distractions that can result in (drivers) running a red light, crashing into the car in front of you or, worse still, hitting a pedestrian," Assistant Commissioner John Hartley said in a statement.

People walking or jogging while listening to music also need to pay attention to their surroundings, he said.

"Headphones and music can drown out traffic noises and make you oblivious to your surroundings."

Sunday's fatality followed the death of a 38-year-old woman on Wednesday, who was killed when she was hit by a bus while crossing a road in Beecroft.

Her 11-month-old baby girl, whom she was carrying at the time, escaped uninjured.

"A life cannot be replaced, but by driving to the speed limit and remaining focused on the road you can reduce the risk to yourself and other road users," Assistant Commissioner Hartley said. 

The US state of Nevada has given Google a registration to trial its driverless cars among public traffic. The officials say that after driving demonstrations by Google, they are satisfied that the cars will be safe to let loost among human drivers.   Google, best known for its search products and mapping software, is trialling fully automatic cars, which can make their way through suburbs, motorways and day to day traffic without intervention from a driver. Google says its plan is not to take control away from the driver, but to enhance the cars ability to avoid an accident. The cars are equipped with a sophisticated array of devices for monitoring the car’s current position, as well as those of fixed objects, like trees, and moving objects, such as cars or people. “Our automated cars use video cameras, radar sensors and a laser range finder to “see” other traffic, as well as detailed maps to navigate the road ahead,” Google says. The team of developers included engineers who’d previously competed in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Grand Challenge, an event organized by the US Government that pits autonomous vehicles against each other on off-road courses. Safety is the priority for the project, which Google believes could have significant impacts on the global road toll. Current estimates by the World Health Organisation put the figure at approximately 1.2 million deaths per year, which predictions it will rise as much as 40 per cent by 2030. “We believe our technology has the potential to cut that number, perhaps by as much as half.” Google says.  

I have a 2012 Mitsubishi Challenger diesel that I use to tow a 2.2- tonne caravan and I have been offered a TDC Power Box performance chip. Apparently, it works by modifying the electronic signals that control fuel pressure produced by the pump in order to optimize engine performance. It's designed to increase fuel pressure at the pump to maintain rail pressure in the mid to upper operating ranges, increasing power and torque. Would this be a worthwhile modification, or is it too much of a risk? Would it have an effect on comprehensive insurance or vehicle warranty?

And the auto giant has been involved in another people's car project for the past year in China.The venture saw 33 million visitors to the website, where people could create a concept online. And more than 119,000 car ideas were submitted, ranging from the intriguing to the ... well, quite odd.Three of the People’s Car Project’ concepts are on show at Auto China 2012 in Beijing: the Hover Car, the Music Car and the Smart Key.The ‘Music Car’ has been blinged up with organic light-emitting diodes, brightening (or darkening) the car with the driver’s choice of music. Just the thing for a spot of suburban Shanghai Saturday night fever.Looking like it is straight out of a sci-fi film, the two seater Hover Car is an electric vehicle that is imagined as travelling on the future's electromagnetic roads.The ‘Smart Key’ features a 9mm touchscreen that keeps the driver up to date on the car’s fuel situation, climate conditions and security. Forgetting where the car is parked is no longer an issue as the car can be monitored through a real time birds-eye satellite transmission. 

Electric vehicle infrastructure leader Better Place has installed an EV charge point at Canberra's Novotel hotel. Guests can charge their car for free and visitors can also access free charging via paid valet parking at the hotel.The Novotel's Neil Paterson said installing charge spots for electric cars was a key part of the Novotel's commitment to customer service and sustainability."We're proud to be one of the first hotels in Canberra to offer this leading-edge service for guests and visitors. "Electric cars are clearly a part of the driving future, so it was important to us that we put the infrastructure in place to make the Novotel a destination address for electric car drivers," he said.The newly installed charge spots are located in the underground car park and can support up to four electric cars at once. The installation is part of the public network of charge spots Better Place is deploying in the ACT region.The charge spots deliver between 20 and 25km of range per hour of charging. They are compatible with the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Nissan Leaf, Renault Fluence ZE and the Holden Volt which will be released in Australia later this year.Better Place now has a total of 14 charge spots installed in and around Canberra with 94 charge spots installed nationally. 

Without them, electric cars aren't viable.They need a range of at least 300km, curently it stands at 150km - best case scenario. There's hope.A project led by advanced UK battery manufacturer Axeon and co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board has been successful in developing a new battery for use in electric cars that offers over a 35 per cent improvement in range compared to existing technologies, for the same weight.In 2009, the Technology Strategy Board awarded over 680,000 of funding to the consortium led by Axeon (bringing the total project funding to over 1.3m), with the aim of developing an innovative high energy/density battery system for an emission-free electric vehicle.The battery uses Nickel Cobalt Manganese (NCM) electrochemistry which theoretically requires 50 per cent less volume and 30 per cent less mass when compared to Lithium Iron Phosphate chemistry.The project included subjecting the battery to automotive environmental validation testing and the learning from this has been incorporated into the final design to ensure a robust solution.Axeon and its partners, Ricardo and Allied Vehicles, have now delivered an advanced demonstrator that has been deployed into a test vehicle, increasing its range, functionality and performance. 

The result was part of a study commissioned by Ford to underscore the safety issue -- as the company prepares to introduce its SYNC in-car connectivity system, which can read aloud incoming messages through a text-to-speech feature and enables drivers to send a text reply by voice from a predetermined list of responses.Despite the prevalence of the practice, drivers agreed overwhelmingly that reading texts on the move was dangerous. Ninety-five per cent of drivers thought that texting affected driver ability and safety.At least half of those surveyed said they believed driver response was 50 per cent slower when checking messages from a mobile phone."Smartphones have quickly become an essential part of many people's day," said Christof Kellerwessel, chief engineer, Electronic and Electrical Systems Engineering, Ford of Europe."However, text messages can be a distraction for drivers, so the benefit of a system that can read messages aloud from compatible smartphones is obvious."Ford SYNC will debut  on the new B-MAX and will roll out to other vehicles in Ford's lineup, including Focus and Kuga. The text-to-speech feature on SYNC, powered by Microsoft, retrieves messages using a simple voice command from Bluetooth-connected compatible smartphones.SYNC also enables drivers to send a text reply from a predetermined list of responses, such as "See you in 10 minutes"  helping motorists to remain focused on driving while staying in touch with contacts.