Hitachi introduces Ropits, a robotic single passenger car

Hitachi introduces Ropits, a robotic single passenger car

Hitachi has unveiled its Ropits single passenger robot car, which looks like a Fisher Price Cozy Coupe for adults and does the driving all on its own. The name and style prompt one to think of a science fiction contraption, but it’s the vehicle’s autonomic functionality that truly brings the idea of “futuristic” to the forefront.

Ropits stands for Robot for Personal Intelligent Transport System, and was designed to aid those who find walking difficult. The idea is that Ropits vehicles could be outfitted in a city, for example, and hailed via a computer or kiosk of some sort positioned in various places around town. The robotic car will retrieve the passenger and whisk him or her away to their destination.

The tiny car achieves its autonomic functionality via a variety of navigation tools, including GPS, a gyro sensor, and laser sensors. The gyro will help the car remain stable on uneven roads, while the laser sensors will be used to judge distance from items. The GPS, obviously, will allow the passenger to tell Ropits where to go.

A quick glance at the vehicle could prompt concerns that it may be unstable with such a small base, but those concerns have been addressed by Hitachi, which designed the Ropits so that each wheel is controlled via what it calls active suspension, helping to keep things both stable and comfortable.

The Lamborghini Veneno, one of the crazier debuts from this week’s Geneva Motor Show, is like triple chocolate layer cake. It’s pure decadence. And depending on your tastes, that might be incredibly alluring or just plain gross. Ferrari’s new supercar is something a little different. It’s still dessert, for sure--it is, after all, a totally outrageous sports car--but it’s a slightly more reasonable dish. The design shows some restraint. And it’s a hybrid! Let’s call it cobbler. It’s dubbed LaFerrari, or The Ferrari, which is pretty silly (though not as silly, I guess, as LaLamborghini would’ve been). But it’s gorgeous, and not strictly in a guilty-pleasure kind of way. It’s curvaceous, where the Veneno was all angles. It looks as though it were shaped with some deference to the laws of physics, as opposed to the Lamborghini, which seems like an affront to them.

Only 499 will be made, each crafted out of carbon fiber and kevlar, with the seats built right into the chassis. They’ll roar from zero to 62 mph in less than three seconds, thanks to 949 horsepower. But most noteworthy, perhaps, is where LaFerrari gets all that pep. Most comes from a 6.3-liter V-12 engine. But an additional 161 horsepower is supplied by a secondary electric motor. How charming! That motor, along with another electric one that keeps the car’s other systems running, is powered by a 130-pound on-board battery, recharged through regenerative breaking and the use of excess torque from the main engine.

Of course, in gas-gulping reality, this thing will still be able to drink a Hummer under the table. But we appreciate the gesture.

Apple iPhone Basics and Features 

 

The iPhone 4 and its predecessors are more than just fancy cell phones. With their range of features – from phone to web browser, from iPod to mobile game device – the iPhone is more like a computer that fits in your pocket and your hand than any cell phone

iPhone Specfications

Physically, the iPhone 4 differs a decent amount from the iPhone 3GS and previous models, all of which were broadly similar in shape.



WHILE overall presentation of the iPhone 4 is similar to its predecessors, it's different in that it's no longer tapered on the edges, includes a glass face on the front and back, wraps the antenna around the outside of the phone (which has caused antenna some problems), and is slightly thinner.



 All iPhones offer a 3.5-inch touchscreen that employs multi-touch technology. Multi-touch allows users to control items on the screen with more than one finger simultaneously (thus the name). It’s multi-touch that enables some of the iPhone’s most famous features, such as tapping the screen twice to zoom in or “pinching” and dragging your fingers to zoom out.



 Other major differences between the iPhone 4 and earlier models include use of the Apple A4 processor, the inclusion of two cameras, a high-resolution screen, and improved battery life.

 Both phones use a trio of sensors to produce some of their best usability features, though neither model offers expandable or upgradeable memory.

iPhone Features

 Because the iPhone is like a mini-computer, it offers the same wide range of features and functions that a computer does. The major areas of function for the iPhone are:



 Phone – The iPhone’s phone features are solid. It includes innovative features like Visual Voicemail and standard features like text messaging and voice dialing


 Web browsing – The iPhone offers the best, most complete mobile browsing experience. Though it doesn’t support the standard Flash browser plug in, it doesn’t require dumbed-down “mobile” versions of websites, instead offering the real thing on a phone.

 Email – Like all good smartphones, the iPhone has robust email features and can sync to corporate email servers running Exchange.



 Calendar/PDA – The iPhone is a personal information manager, too, with calendar, address book, stock-tracking, weather update, and related features. iPod – A shortcut description of an iPhone is a combined cell phone and iPod, so of course its music player features offer all the advantages and coolness of iPods.




 Video playback – With its big, beautiful, 3.5-inch screen, the iPhone is a great choice for mobile video playback, whether using the built-in YouTube application, adding your own video, or buying or renting content from the iTunes Store

 Apps – With the addition of the App Store, iPhones can now run all kinds of third-party programs, from games (both free and paid) to Facebook and Twitter to restaurant finders and productivity apps. The App Store makes the iPhone the most useful smartphone around.

 Cameras - One major change in the iPhone is the inclusion of two camera, whereas previous models only had one. The camera on the back of the phone shoots 5-megapxzel still images and takes 720p HD video. The user-facing camera allows FaceTime video chats.

iPhone Controls

 

Though the iPhone’s coolest control features are based around the multi-touch screen, it also has a number of buttons on its face that are used for control.


Home button – This button, at the bottom of the phone right below the screen, is used to wake the phone from sleep and control some onscreen features.


Hold button – At the top right corner of the iPhone, you’ll find the hold button. Pressing this button locks the screen and/or puts the phone to sleep. It’s also the button used to restart the phone


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Volume button – On the left side of the phone, a long button that moves up and down controls the volume of music, video, and the phone’s ringer

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Ringer button – Just above the volume control is a smaller rectangular button. This is the ringer button, which allows you to put the phone into silent mode so the ringer won’t sound when calls come in.


Dock Connector – This port, at the bottom of the phone, is where you plug in the cable to sync the phone with a computer, as well as accessories.

Using iPhone with iTunes

Like an iPod, the iPhone is synced with and managed using iTunes.


Activation - When you first get an iPhone, you activate it through iTunes and select your monthly phone plan using the software

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Sync - Once the phone is activated, iTunes is used to sync music, videos, calendars and other information to the phone.


Restore and Reset – Lastly, iTunes is also used to reset data on the iPhone and restore contents from backup if problems cause you to need to erase the contents of the phone