Tech Tuesday: the latest in car technology 

Tech Tuesdays are back with more scientific and engineering advancements that’ll turn your car into a mobile box of wonders. If you’re considering purchasing a new car but crippling student debt is in your way, consider some of the choices below. It might not magically turn your car into a Tesla, but it’ll make it more functional than an Oldsmobile.

1. Evenflo SensorSafe Technology

Yes, our first entry looks like a typo, but it’s not. I’m glad you caught that because you’re probably not one to forget, oh I don’t know, your infant in the backseat of your car. The Advanced SensorSafe Embrace DLX is a child’s seat that works in tandem with your vehicle’s notification to remind you to not turn your infant into a baked potato.



Plug a wireless receiver into your car and it’ll alert you in cheerful beeps and boops, like your own personal R2-D2, of your baby’s presence. If you’re driving less than 5mph for 30 seconds the system will activate. When you turn off your car, it’ll chime again. You might forget your mom’s birthday and to pay your credit cards on time, but don’t forget your baby.

2. Nissan Scratch Shield

While it sounds like a product that prevents your cats from destroying your furniture, Scratch Shield is actually a scratch resistant clear coat for your car that’s stronger than conventional coats. It also self-repairs fine scratches, like a very crappy T-1000. What does this mean: your car will almost look brand new, even if you’re a terrible driver. So congrats!



So how does it work? Science. To quote Nissan: “A special highly elastic resin has been combined with a conventional clear coat to increase the paint’s flexibility.” Evidently, the coat has been doing yoga. Just remember, it repairs fine scratches. If your ex runs keys across your car, you’ll probably need a paint job. And a restraining order.

3. Nissan Smart Rearview Mirror

No one likes looking back; whether it’s due to emotional trauma or laziness but it’s easier now than ever thanks to the good folks at Nissan.



Nissan has developed a rearview mirror that combines an LCD screen with a traditional rearview mirror. A 1.3MP trunk-mounted camera displays a wide-angle look on the rearview mirror that you don’t traditionally get due to the C-pillar blocking your view. As such, your field of vision will increase from 17 degrees to 48 degrees. You can thank Nissan for this invention, as it’ll save you from having to pay your chiropractor from constantly twisting your neck when reversing. Using it is simple. You know the nighttime dimmer switch you barely use? Flip it to activate it. Now there’s no excuse not to be a good parallel parker.

4. Voyomotive Voyo

Billed as “The World’s Most Advanced Connect Car Technology,” the VOYO is an advanced telematics system that increases driving safety, convenience and fuel efficiency. How does it achieve this? By connecting your phone to your car and your car to the cloud. The device also features a 256-bit AES encryption that adds an extra layer of security between your smartphone and your car, and also decreasing chances of theft via Bluetooth.



The device fits the palm of your hand and needs to be connected to your car’s OBD2 port (most models built after 1996 come with one). Aside from giving feedback data on your vehicle, the Voyo has Bond-esque features as well, like the immobilizer. This feature makes it so that a paired and registered smartphone has to be in the car for the engine to be started. The Voyo is still in Kickstarter mode so it’s not available for retail yet.

5. SMARTwheel

Snap this bad boy onto your steering wheel and force yourself to stop being distracted by your cellphone and other things (but most likely your smartphone). You basically have to keep your hands at the 10 and 2 o’clock position and if you don’t, you’re greeted by an annoying high-pitched noise that won’t shut off until you place your hands back on the sensors. You can also download the SMARTwheel app, which will indicate whether you’ve become less distracted with time.
https://youtu.be/NrA6vUhlUxo

The product is currently being crowd sourced. Get the SMARTwheel for your kids or your worst enemies, which could be one in the same, especially if they are teens. That, or just put your damn phone on silent or airplane mode.