FutureWire - futurism and emerging technology

Monday, September 12, 2005

Why Pimp Your Ride When You Can Geek It?

So, you had your heart set on that sweet SUV until the gas prices soared out of control? Well, you can still ride in style by "geeking" your car, or outfitting it with the latest in technology.

GPS screens are only the beginning. Experts in "telematics," the art of geeking cars, have installed full PCs that monitor the vehicle's vital signs and enable advanced communications such as e-mail and "personalized telemetry," which can tell your friends where you are at any given moment. Cars are also being outfitted with cameras that record the road around the car... handy if one is the victim of a hit-and-run accident.

And if you worry that all this technology is distracting, cars are even being equipped with cameras that watch the driver for signs of drowsiness or inattention... and "yell" at him or her to wake up!

Sources: USA Today, Techdirt