9 replies to this topic

[Swad]

This is pretty interesting, although I can't imagine trying to find an app on the dock while driving...

http://minidock.jp/en/index.html

[U.C.]

dood this is awesome, imagine mp3's, dvds all of the system. if u manage to connect a gprs enabled phone to it, netsurfing, etc. dood i have always dreamed of somthing like this. now imagine big SUV, rear seat projector, screen in front = cinema experince in car

[Technobob]

That's cool but I would not want to be in front of this guy. I could just see it, he's driving down the road surfing some porn when a hot blonde catches his eye and bam accident waiting to happen  

[Mavrick]

why on earth would the guy need three mac mini's? whats he trying to do take over some satellite thats orbiting above him? Really clumsy workmanship. maybe the guy got a do it yourself kit n tried to do it himself. But then again he should have refered to the manuals.....

[Mac OSX Coder]

- Mavrick

Maybe you should actually READ instead of making flames.

If you haven't noticed, this is an autonomous vehicle, which means it DRIVES IT SELF. That's the reasons for 3 macs minis.

I heard about this project several months? ago. Im wondering why they didn't put several powermac g5's instead....

[Mr. Bond]

Most likely the price, in addition to the small form factor. It would be something that could easily fit in/under a centre console type thing. Easily integratable into the car!

[weeneedhelp]

Cops around my area have that kind of setup, except that they use windows.

kinna cool all i need is a flood light then

[JimBob]

MrBond, on Mar 28 2006, 08:17 PM, said:

Most likely the price, in addition to the small form factor. It would be something that could easily fit in/under a centre console type thing. Easily integratable into the car!

It's too bad they didn't win the  DARPA Grand Challange, but anyway, from the vehicle specifications, they said:

"The foundation of our computing system is a trio of Apple Mac mini computers run-
ning custom developed software. We choose the Mac mini for its compact form factor,
low energy consumption, and high computing power. Having identical units allowed
us to easily swap out and exchange individual units during the development phase. The
compact form factor facilitated placement and secure mounting, and has proven reliable
in a mobile environment. The computers are connected by ethernet and communicate
with each other through a custom developed UDP synchronizing protocol. "

This was an amazing "race" that I followed when it was happening.  They had a great website tracking all the vehicles progress toward the finish line.