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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation
Although third-party options have long been available to interfere with the poor decision to start a car while inebriated, a recent string of alcohol-related accidents in Japan has led Nissan to begin mulling over a factory installed system that prevents intoxicated individuals from cranking up their own ride. The technology would utilize “breathalyzer-like devices” to detect the blood alcohol content when you got behind the wheel, and if it finds that you’re over the legal limit, the hopes of turning that engine over are squashed. Potential “solutions” included a straw-like device which you’d have to puff on before ignition could ensue (sanitation concerns could become an issue here if you share your car with someone), or an automated system that would require drivers to enter a series of numbers (presumably difficult if you’re not sober) before being granted access to cruise. While we don’t know when these anti-drunk driving vehicles will start popping up at dealerships, we highly doubt folks that are careless enough to toss a few back before getting behind the wheel would have the presence of mind to pay extra for something like this when they buy their car — besides, we’ll all be using autopilot before too long, right?
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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Apparently our pals over in the Chinese judicial system are getting challenged by technology these days. No, they haven’t invented lawyerbots yet (though some of the nursebots we’ve seen could wield a gavel), but they’re getting closer. A new software app implemented in the Zichuan District Court in China’s Shangdong province, gives suggestions on “proper verdicts” in criminal cases. This software is apparently going to be used to curb the problem that some Chinese judges have become too subjective, undertrained, and in many cases, corrupt. Maybe in the US we could speed up our own backlog of judicial proceedings simply by outsourcing our judges to China, too. We’re sure that would go over well with our litigious society — we can smell the briefs being drafted already.
[Via The Register]
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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
It’s a good thing that military personnel are not elected officials, because if Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne were up for re-election, we doubt that his proposal to test non-lethal weapons on American citizens before deploying them abroad would win him many votes. Specifically, Wynne told The Associated Press: “If we’re not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use it in a wartime situation, (because) if I hit somebody with a nonlethal weapon and they claim that it injured them in a way that was not intended, I think that I would be vilified in the world press.” That would certainly be a shame, Mr. Secretary, as it would really tarnish the US’s hard-earned reputation as a nation beyond reproach in the eyes of the international community. So, next time you’re looting or rioting or otherwise participating in organized chaos and you happen to inexplicably drop to your knees in horrific pain, you can thank Secretary Wynne for ensuring that America’s enemies will be receiving just the right dose of incapacitating waves, beams, or pulses when the time comes.
Update: Upon reading all of the comments so far (some insightful, some not) and re-reading the CNN article, it’s clear that the AP reporter may have taken Secretary Wynne’s statement out of context, and that the Secretary may actually be advocating against any use of these types of weapons at all — a notion that’s further supported by claims that the Air Force is withholding funding for this research pending additional medical inquiries. Therefore, please disregard any barbs herein made at the expense of Secretary Wynne, as they may turn out to be completely unwarranted.
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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
While our favorite
Danish gadget company, Bang & Olufsen is better known for making
fashionphones and
audio gear, it also has a medical devices division, known as Medicom. This division has just released a new device to help patients make sure they’re on track for taking medication. The aptly named “Helping Hand,” which looks like a slightly curved handset, stores a blister pack of medication and then will send a signal to a computer or cell phone (via
Bluetooth or USB) to remind you to take your meds. The Helping Hand’s red, yellow or green lights will go off to give a visual cues as to how many instances have been missed, and can upload that info to your doctor (or
medical assistant robot), so the next time you see her, she can give you a stern reprimand. Speaking of reminders, we’d like to alert B&O Medicom that its press release doesn’t have a price or a release date on it — so get on that, guys.
[Via medGadget]
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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.
