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Posts Tagged “

Safety

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cars

Scientist Studies Cars That Speak and Listen Like KITT

KITTdash1.jpgI used to want a car just like KITT when I was a kid, though perhaps without that slightly annoying nasal voice. And now a Stanford scientist is looking at whether nattering to your vehicle may be good for you, the car, other road users and even (darnit) your insurers or advertising execs.
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7:02 AM on Thu May 8 2008
By Kit Eaton
1,592 views, 29 comments

honda crime alerting gps

Honda GPS Warns Drivers of High Crime Zones

Honda's new GPS warns drivers when they're about to leave their car in places where it is likely to be stolen, broken into or otherwise vandalized. The new technology, available from today if you live in Japan, links to local police stations and provides crime ratings by location, and if area is particularly dangerous it issues an alert. No indication of when or if this'll come to the US. [Left Lane News via Inventor Spot ]

10:47 PM on Mon Apr 21 2008
By Chris Magor
2,978 views, 35 comments

safety first

European Company Looks To Make a Death Proof Car

It may not be Kurt Russell's stunt car, but if a European company named Prevent is successful in its quest, the world will have the first "uncrashable" vehicle. As their name suggests, the approach they are taking does not involve any space age armor to avoid damage in the event of an accident, rather, the focus is on new technologies that prevent accidents from occurring in the first place. A list of some of these innovations are listed after the break. More »

5:30 PM on Thu Apr 17 2008
By Sean Fallon
8,802 views, 36 comments

Latest by skeksis: None of those warnings will help if you're texting with one hand and changing the radio station with the other. They need to make an idiot-proof car before they make a death-proof one. more »

safety

Wearable Airbags Make Crashing on a Motorcycle a Hilarious Event


Here's a video of a wearable airbag, something designed for people who ride motorcycles and people who are really accident prone. It's essentially a suit that inflates as you're going down, making sure your face doesn't stop your fall into the concrete. It's not due out until 2010, but check out the new video of it in action above. [Product Page via Boing Boing]

6:30 PM on Mon Mar 24 2008
By Adam Frucci
10,834 views, 42 comments

safety

Runt Stun Gun Looks Like Pager, Stings Like Taser

Worried about getting jumped by weirdoes? The 3.25" Runt might be the best stun gun for the money. At least, it sounds pretty cheap: $40 will get you 350,000 volts of juice from this plug-in-the-wall pager lookalike; $10 more gets you 650,000 volts, and $20 gets you a 950,000- volt model. (For a vague idea of what the 950,000-volt model will do to you, have a look at the idiot kids in the video after the jump.) More »

12:13 PM on Mon Mar 17 2008
By Wilson Rothman
9,612 views, 16 comments

safety

Japan Develops a Fire Alarm that Sprays the Smell of Horseradish

In an innovative solution to the problem of deaf people not being able to hear fire alarms, Japanese researchers have developed one that sprays the strong smell of horseradish, ensuring that everybody with a functioning sense of smell wakes up. In tests, it successfully, silently woke up 13 out of 14 people, with deaf subjects much more receptive to the alarm. Combine this with an audible alarm and a small robot that goes around slapping people in the face and you've got yourself one foolproof fire alarm. Wait a minute. If they can smell horseradish, can't they also smell the fire? [WCTV via Boing Boing]

11:30 AM on Sun Mar 9 2008
By Adam Frucci
4,087 views, 37 comments

Latest by monkey144: So Japan's essentially found that using pepper spray is effective in waking people in the event of a fire? Wouldn't that create a whole new problem? more »

safety

Wireless Impact Guardian Helmet Calls 911 For You

A helmet may save you life in a motorcycle/ATV/headbanging accident, but that doesn't mean you'll be in any condition to call for help. The Wireless Impact Guardian is a helmet that takes such an accident into account and contacts 911 for you. More »

8:23 AM on Mon Feb 11 2008
By Mark Wilson
2,531 views, 11 comments

cars

Toyota's In-Car System Watches for Sleepy Eyes (What About Asians?!)

Toyota's invention of sticking a camera in the dash of a car to monitor the eyelids for dozing off seems pretty smart, even if the concept isn't entirely new. The system would look at your upper and lower eyelids and see whether it's "properly open", which Jalopnik guesses is about 60 to 100% of max. Our question is: would the sensor beep nonstop if an Asian got into the car? Probably not. Seeing as Toyota is Asians, we think they probably took the squinty-factor into account. [Far East Gizmos via Jalopnik]

4:00 PM on Thu Jan 24 2008
By Jason Chen
7,996 views, 114 comments

Latest by BryanW: Shit I'm having trouble even reading this post through my squinty eyes. more »

safety

Exploding Cellphone Determined to Not Be Cause of Death of Korean Worker

The South Korean man who was reportedly killed by an exploding cellphone battery, well, wasn't. Apparently the damage to his lungs, heart, spine and ribs was too extensive to be caused by one measly cellphone. Still, he did have a melted phone in his breast pocket and they aren't quite sure how exactly he got so messed up, but they're pretty certain it wasn't just his phone. Any hypotheses, super sleuths? [Yahoo News]

12:30 PM on Thu Nov 29 2007
By Adam Frucci
2,885 views, 52 comments

lexus

Lexus LX 570 Lets You See Around Corners With Front and Side Cameras

Next year's Lexus LX 570 has got some pretty spiffy tech attached to it — including a visual system that allows you to clock what's going on around, beside and below you while you park or un-park. Its "front-wide view and side monitoring system" consists of little spy cameras, one on the radiator grille, plus a couple situated on the underside of the side mirrors, all of which gives you access to 180 vision via a screen inside the car. AutoSpies made a vid of the system, and you can see it below. More »

6:20 AM on Thu Nov 29 2007
By Addy Dugdale
2,999 views, 12 comments

Latest by yougottabekidding: Or...you could just learn how to drive properly and know your surroundings before putting the car in gear. 'Spiffy tech', yes...but if you know what you're doing it's mostly useless on regular sized cars. Now for big rigs, buses, etc., more »

clothing

First Video of the Japanese Vending Machine Dress Transforming

Here's a video report from Reuters on the transforming dress that disguises a scared, vulnerable stalking target into a vending machine you'd find in any Tokyo side street. This is the first time I've seen this dress on video. And I like how the reporter calls it a modern day Ninja tactic, while other Japanese men in the segment say it's probably a better idea to run from rapists and muggers than to lift up your dress and try to disguise yourself as a Soda machine. [Reuters, thanks Chad] More »

10:13 PM on Fri Nov 9 2007
By Brian Lam
16,745 views, 33 comments

Latest by gwaring: Attention stalkers and rapist: Look for the Coke machine with feet!! more »

cycling

Bicygnals Front and Rear Lights Makes Your Bike Look Like a Cop Car

If you have the balls to weave your bike through heavy traffic on city streets, you might not even consider Bicygnals, battery-operated LED turn signals that make your bike look like a cop car. For the rest of us, we can appreciate how these front and rear signals communicate with each other wirelessly with a quick flip of a switch. That's certainly better than taking your hands off the handlebars and flashing hand signals, which won't do you much good at night, anyway. More »

1:20 PM on Fri Nov 2 2007
By Charlie White
5,527 views, 18 comments

Latest by akmarksman: @jackfrost132: TAKE ME TO XENU!!! more »

safety

TASER-Proof Gear is Great for Students, Political Activists, Criminals

This patent for an "energy weapon protection device" is the perfect accessory for your next anti-war march. It also might be a good idea to just have one handy for other occasions, too, as you never know when the 5-0 might get a little TASER-happy on you for failing to fully stop at a stop sign or something. These are strange days we live in, my friends. [Patent via Danger Room]

10:20 AM on Fri Nov 2 2007
By Adam Frucci
29,045 views, 35 comments

safety

Lifebag Saves Lives in Avalanches, Doubles as Halloween Costume

Aimed at winter sports enthusiasts, the Lifebag is a nifty refillable backpack. Weighing in at less than three pounds, its 150-liter capacity tank fills with gas in just three seconds when inflated manually, protecting the head and upper body of the wearer. But this Swiss invention could be so much more than just a life-saver, don't you think?
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4:00 PM on Thu Oct 25 2007
By Addy Dugdale
3,064 views, 19 comments

Latest by axiomatic: Come to think of it, had I had the helmet and goggles with me on the flight I would have been much happier. more »

toddler spying

Bladerunner GPS Tracker Jacket Locates Kids, Replicants

We've heard of GPS trackers for kids before, but here's one that's ironically branded Bladerunner. It's sewn into a jacket to be worn by small children, and replicants if they're small enough. Whenever that rug rat ventures beyond a boundary that you set, the jacket texts you on your cellphone. Hey, this is like an Invisible Fence for dogs, except it's for humans. Oh yeah, and it doesn't shock the little tykes, either. More »

12:40 PM on Wed Oct 24 2007
By Charlie White
4,874 views, 15 comments

clothing

AlarmWear Clothing: 125dB Personal Alarm System

When the wearer of an AlarmWear jacket, vest or backpack feels threatened, one tug on the carefully placed ring will set off a 125dB alarm. Naturally, the intent is to deter any thieves, potential rapists and the like —but let's not forget that these products are also available in kids' sizes. School bullying would surely be down a few notches, but the frequency of school lockdowns would be way up. Prices range from $40 to $60. [AlarmWear via TRFJ]

4:35 PM on Tue Oct 23 2007
By Sean Fallon
2,076 views, 12 comments

Latest by uberfu: Ear Plugs - Ear Muffs - Sound Proof Helmet - Sound Proof Hoodie ? more »

clothing

Japanese Anti Rape/Mugging Dress Transforms Into Vending Machine Disguise

We were under the impression that Japan was so awesome crime didn't exist there. Unfortunately, it does. To ward off criminals, fashion designer Aya Tsukioka has conjured up some neat transforming clothes/accessories to deceive potential muggers. Whether there would be time to get your kit out in an attack is probably something we would not want to test out, but the concept makes for one kick-ass gallery; check it out below:
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4:20 PM on Sat Oct 20 2007
By Haroon Malik
60,988 views, 58 comments

Latest by Amiash: damn, this racism issue has infiltrated my sanctuary.. thank god they moved out... more »

high impact

Impact Jackets (a.k.a. Wearable Airbags) Finally Make It to the US, and Are Immediately "Tested"

Impact Jackets, originally designed to save Japanese construction workers from long falls by inflating prior to impact, have finally made it to the United States. Only instead of construction workers, it's our motorcyclists that seem to be reaping the benefits. And it didn't take too long to see some results. More »

4:20 PM on Tue Oct 16 2007
By blongo3
22,816 views, 91 comments

Latest by Thud: @ninjamurf: Dammit. Had to go back and read an old post... I said: "say, an identical motorcycle traveling at 70 mph the opposite direction--as compared to hitting a brick wall at 70 mph. But, in both cases, you have absorbed more »