That someone being designer Pouyan Mokhtarani, whose baby buggy contains a LED screen so you can gurgle and babble away at your baby from a distance, lest you pick up diseases from it, and the air purification unit ensures your baby breathes nothing but the cleanest oxygen.

Auto-rock it to sleep, and even flush away the baby poop with the Auto Diaper function. Actually, the more we look at this concept, the more we wish we could have an adult-sized one. [Yanko Design]

We've seen initial prototypes before, but this final version looks amazing. It's likely built on a Dodge Ram base, but as you can see, the custom fiberglass body has a tail styled like a Corvette. Better yet, it actually uses an aluminum Corvette LS engine on land, too. A rear Dominator jet handles amphibious duties.

Certain to draw all kinds of attention (bikini-clad, and otherwise), WaterCar is selling the Corvette-powered, fully assembled Python for a cool $200,000. [WaterCar via Jalopnik]

Because of it's compact size, users can move about in tight spaces easier than they could in a wheelchair or scooter—and it can travel at speeds of up to 12 mph making it a efficient method of transport. Essentially it's a Segway that you can wear. Yeah, it sort of makes people look like a vacuum, or like they are wearing some sort of robotic skirt—but there is no doubt that this concept is certifiably badass.

Production versions of the Chariot should be available sometime in the near future, and there are plans to integrate a feature that would allow users to switch from a standing to a seated position as needed. [Business Wire via Gizmowatch via Botopolis]

FISKER AUTOMOTIVE ANNOUNCES A LETTER OF INTENT FOR
ASSEMBLY CONTRACT WITH VALMET AUTOMOTIVE

Valmet to Serve as Global Manufacturing Facility, Fisker Automotive
Strategy Sees Manufacturing Facility in the US for Future Models

IRVINE, CA. July 14, 2008: Fisker Automotive, Inc., a green American premium
car company, today announced that Valmet Automotive will manufacture its first
production car, the Fisker Karma. Known for producing high quality specialty cars
like the Porsche Boxster and Cayman for Porsche AG, the Finland-based contract
manufacturer brings to the Fisker Karma 40 years of experience of working with
OEM customers and their wide ranging engineering and production needs.

When the Fisker Karma begins rolling off the Valmet assembly line in the fourth
quarter of 2009, it will mark the first ever plug-in hybrid 4 door sports sedan to hit
the market. With 50 miles of electric range and more than 350 miles of total range,
the Fisker Karma with its proprietary Q-DRIVE powertrain developed by Quantum
Technologies, will have the potential for a fuel economy of over 100 miles per gallon
(MPG) on extended drives. Boasting a top speed of 125mph and 0-60 acceleration
in less than 6 seconds, the Fisker Karma is poised to be the world’s first true luxury
plug-in hybrid sports car.

“After an exhaustive global search, we are thrilled to have found the ideal
manufacturing partner in Valmet Automotive,” said Fisker Automotive CEO, Henrik
Fisker. “Valmet offers us the quality and speed necessary to meet our production
goals and given that more than half of Fisker Automotive’s sales are expected to be
outside of North America, Valmet represents an ideal international foothold. We do
have a strategic plan to utilize an American manufacturing site for future models of
the Fisker Karma."

“It is forecasted that the market of environmentally-friendly electric vehicles will
grow very fast and we are proud to be in the pole position in this growth”, says Ilpo
Korhonen, President of Valmet Automotive. “Fisker Automotive leads the way by
adapting the most innovative technologies to new, environmentally-friendly premium
cars. The strategic partnership with Fisker Automotive will open a new window for
Valmet Automotive. Our production process can be easily adapted to the production
of electric and hybrid cars and new body designs. In line with our renewed strategy,
engineering will have a strong role in the cooperation.”

“Our mission at Fisker Automotive is to develop beautiful, environmentally friendly
cars that make environmental sense without compromise – be it quality-wise or cost-
wise,” Fisker continued. “Valmet Automotive has the track-record, high quality
technology and has the dedicated resources to take us there, and their high tech
production line with eco-friendly automated paints agrees with our ideology.”

Initial domestic deliveries of Fisker Automotive’s first car, the Karma, will
commence in the 4th quarter of 2009 in North America with planned delivery to
Europe in 2010. Fisker Automotive’s annual production is projected to reach 15,000
cars, with more than half of sales expected to be overseas.

Built by Ben J. Poss Gulak, it's an electric vehicle that uses a similar sort of microgyro-motor system as the Segway, but with two gyros: one for forward and back, and one for turning. Its got just one control —a power switch— and everything else is done by leaning, which must make for one hell of an adrenaline-packed ride. It's the culmination of a number of vehicle projects by Ben, and uses electric propulsion for eco-friendliness, since Ben visited China where he found that "the smog was so thick, we never saw the sun."

Ben designed the 120-lb vehicle himself, using Google SketchUp to help with the plans as he couldn't afford professional software. How does it perform? We don't know, but we suspect it's a lot of fun. And though Ben got some advice from expert motorbike modders, and a robotics expert for the gyro programming, he deserves a round of applause— he's only 18 years old. And that's just amazing. [Motorcycle Mojo via Make —Thanks Daniel]

WILLWARN: Uses wireless communication to warn the driver about potential hazards that lie ahead.
MAPS&ADAS: Alerts drivers to terrain hazards using sat-nav maps.

SASPENCE: Analyzes safe driving distances and speed.

LATERALSAFE: Keeps an eye on your blind spot.

APALACI and COMPOSE: Analyzes the speed and trajectories of other vehicles and pedestrians in real time.

The systems developed by Prevent are already being tested in the Volvo FH12, BMW 545i, Fiat Stilo, Alfa Romeo 156 and Mercedes E350, but they acknowledged that it would be "a while" before on-board vehicle computers are sophisticated enough to take advantage of this technology. [Science Daily via Jalopnik]

Morgan is putting together the LifeCar to demonstrate that eco-friendly vehicles can still be fun to drive and desirable. To this end, that sleek art-deco chassis is designed to be ultra light, with sound eco-credentials without sacrificing performance. It even incorporates features like regenerative braking to claw back wasted energy, which helps shrink down the engine and fuel system and still retain a 200-mile range. Combine the performance and eco-friendliness with luxury details like hand-stitched leather and a wooden-rimmed steering wheel, and suddenly going green doesn't sound so Prius-y. Let's just hope we can save enough for the presumably enormous price. [Jalopnik]

Current hybrid vehicles use nickel-metal hydride batteries, but the lithium-ion alternatives are known to offer greater efficiency, as well as a better overall weight-to-power ratio. The problem with integrating the Li-ion technology was in securing their stability—they became far too hot to be a viable option in a hybrid vehicle. Fortunately, Mercedes-Benz has 25 patents it is confident solves the dilemma of battery overheating, whether they stay on target for 2009 is another matter, but we certainly wouldn't doubt them. (N.B. The model pictured is the standard petrol engine S400. Images of the BlueHybrid have not been released as yet.)[CNET]

Joeseph McPhatter of Baltimore, MD, recently was cruising along when he was abruptly cut off and wrecked his motorcycle. Upon crashing, McPhatter was launched over 100 feet at a rate of 140MPH and instantly became the Impact Jacket's first "real world" motorcycle crash test. Medics claim that if McPhatter hadn't been wearing the Impact Jacket, his injuries, which amounted to a few sore ribs, would have been severely worse—if not fatal. Thanks, Impact Jacket! [Baltimore Sun via Core77]

Featuring 4 wheels for enhanced stability, the frame is apparently still not much bigger than a normal bike. And somewhere in there fits two different engines, one gasoline of undisclosed size and another electrical (to dual impress biker chicks and eco babes, though probably offering some impressive performance payoffs as well). The important note to remember is that the Tesseract is not a motorcycle. Please spread the word and make sure every wife knows it while we pray Yamaha actually puts the...vehicle...into production.

We're also hoping to see the Tesseract transform into a Gundam robot and fulfill its true destiny. [autoblog]

Well, Flame Grill my Whopper and call it Professor Caractacus Potts! Is there nothing sacred any more? Not even those precious moments when a man wants a little peace in the world so that he can go about his daily business without being disturbed? It seems not, but then the British always were a little strange. This is, apparently, the world's fastest toilet. Powered by a Boeing Jet engine, the $10,000 vehicle's top speed is in excess of 70mph, and it farts flames from its tailpipe - rather like, I would imagine, a man forced to eat ten vindaloos one after another.

There's a video, as well another pic of the flaming khazi in action and its inventor, Paul Stender, all after the jump.

On the day when we remember Walter Schirra, let us also salute mechanic Paul Stender, without whom we would not be able to use clichés such as "To Boldly Go" and have them mean something completely different. – Ad Dugdale

Hold onto your Trousers... It's the world's fastest Loo

No longer will slow leisurely rides in the sky be the property of the wealthy & contest winners. The Personal Blimp will hold up to two people, max out at a blistering 12 mph, and thankfully use hot air instead of helium since I have no idea where to get that much helium aside from robbing a local party store. Also, the Personal Blimp will be fully collapsible so you can keep it in your garage, now there's a plus.

No word on pricing yet, but I'm putting aside the $2,600 I had saved up for a PS3, on a Personal Blimp down payment instead. See a video of the Personal Blimps first 360 degree turn after the jump.

Skyacht [New Launches]
Personal Blimp [Personal Blimp]

– Ben Longo

TomTom ONE [GPS Review]