Today I wanted to shift gears a little *side note, that pun always cracks me up* We talk about some serious stuff around here. I tought it would be fun to switch it up.
I mentioned on the Facebook Page yesterday that Netflix now has Knight Rider on streaming. Not the one from 2008, the original one from 1982. I remember watching this show as a kid. I was pretty little when it was on TV. But who could forget that theme song, or that awesome red light on the front. It was so cool to hear a car talk, and it had turbo boost!
Now I watch the show as an adult(subjective) and a car pro, I see all the 80’s “cheese” the show had. Tons of plot holes, amazing acting, cornball special effects, you name it, Knight Rider has it. But around all that cheese was a car that is extremely futuristic for the time. I want to look at a few features that KITT had, and how they car common in today’s cars.
- Silent Mode
Made for quiet movement, makes me think of E-Mode in hybrids. - Com-link
This allowed Micheal to contact home base. We can look at this like OnStar, or a pairing with a smart phone. - Deflatable Tires
The tires in the show where slightly different. Today we have tires built to run with little air pressure. - Mircoscanners
This is is just one part of an overall “awareness” system that KITT has. KITT is equipped with sensors throughout the entire car. They are used to visually track anything. This along with the Anamorphic Equalizer(the cool red light in the front) are responcable for KITT’s location awareness. Think about today’s adaptive cruise and lane change assist. - Auto CruiseWe have the technology for this right now. Cars that can drive themselves. While this has not hit the mainstream, it was big at the Chicago Auto Show.
- In-dash entertainment.
KITT could play video, music and even video games on his video screen in the dash. - Alpha Circuit
This is said to be KITT’s main control system, and is the reason it can drive itself. The Alpha circuit could be viewed as a body module today. The computer that is the center hub for all car functions.
I am sure we could spend all day talking about cool “future” cars. So saying that, what was YOUR favorite “future” car? Post it up in the comment section! And now, you will have the theme song stuck in your head all day 😉
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