Nokian, a tire manufacturer, in congress with Nokia the cell phone manufacturer have succeeded in developing a tire for your car that will not only monitor your tire pressure and temperature in real time but will notify you via your cell phone of any dramatic changes. The technology will be available to the average consumer next year.
Lovely idea folks! Who was the rocket scientist behind this one?!
Imagine this, my tire blows out at highway speed and while I am busy trying to keep my hulking SUV from jumping into the on-comming lanes, my cell phone rings to announce the suddent loss of air pressure in my right front tire. Great. Thanks for the call.
But why stop there. Why not a also include a chip in my car’s ECU to call me up to complain about the quality of that last tank of gas? Or how about having my break pads call me up and lodge a protest about the overuse they are experiencing due to the bumper to bumper traffic jam I am in?
I love technology but this one is such a miss that it’s hard to understand how it got past the concept stage.
Oh, QS, do I have some stories I could tell YOU! Oh Lordy, this would start looking like a GOOD idea. If you’re interested, I will email what I can share without getting myself in trouble.
Maybe I’m missing the point, but why not have another gauge on the dash telling you this info about your tires so you know before making the trip or getting on the freeway the condition your tires are in?
I don’t answer my phone when I’m driving. I have enough problems paying attention where I’m going without having my phone to my ear–of course I realize I’m in the minority, my BF answers his phone on the road all the time and it bugs the heck out of me.
Is this only for blowouts while driving? Will it call me at my office or at home to let me know I got a flat? That would be cool. I could fix it right away and not have a nasty surprise waiting for me when I get to the car.
You can fix a flat from your office? Cool! Do you work as an automechanic?
I’m sure you mean that you can know about a flat before you walk out to your car at the end of the work day. Well yes, that might be helpful, but considering how often most people get a flat, I hardly consider that a great and useful feature to connect to your cell phone. If it was then getting a call telling you you’ve left your lights on or door ajar would be far more useful. So would a break-in detection so that you could call the cops instead of having your car alarm left ignored by everyone within annoyable distance.
I’m not against collecting this kind of info, I just like it displayed at the appropriate time and in an appropriate place… like the dash of the car. I’m one of those people that like to have as many lights and dials on my dash as possible. I want the damn thing to light up like the cockpit of a 747 when I turn that key!
I also love assorted lights and dials in colors on my dash. I once owned a fast Pontiac, and ‘customized’ it a touch. I installed a CB (no cell phones then), oil, water and tachometer set that lit up, added air shocks in the back complete with in line pump and a set of controls that lit up telling me their pressure and lighting up the switches to add or remove air. Even the indicator letters on my slap stick automatic shift glowed!
Inserting microchips in sneakers to monitor running is dumb. You pay more for the sneaker, plus the program and get to hold the stinking thing up and download the infor into your computer.
Automatic flashing impact lights in sneakers. Cute - on kids but no off switch. Each time they walk, the heels flash. No way to replace the battery, if I’m correct.
I have all sorts of problems with that car, from Japan I think, that has this pretty big computer display in the dash that connects to the Internet. Picture the guy driving at 70 in a 55 zone, cell phone in one ear, fax on the seat spitting out paper, reading his digital message beeper in his lap and surfing the web as he steers with his knee.
Man-oh-man! Will the insurance rates soar once those hit the road. They need to paint those cars nuclear black and yellow so us regular folks can see them coming and get out of the way.
