Gizmodo Australia » radars

Pocket Radar Is “World’s Only Pocket-Sized Personal Speed Radar”

Sean Fallon — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:40:00 +0000

Catching speeders and clocking pitches just got a whole lot easier now that a radar gun has been developed that’s about the same size as an average mobile phone.

The Doppler-based Pocket Radar has the same degree of accuracy as traditional, bulky radar guns (within 1.6km/h) in a unit that’s small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. It can also take up to 10,000 speed measurements on one set of AAA batteries. Of course, it’s probably going to be a lot more expensive for makers to tinker with when it arrives early 2010. [Pocket Radar via BusinessWire via Gadget Lab]

RENNtech Mercedes C63 AMG SPEC.R and Its Radar Jamming System Get a Test Drive

Sean Fallon — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:20:00 +0000

Jalopnik had the honour of test driving the RENNtech Mercedes C63 AMG SPEC.R. It’s a beautiful car, but one of the most interesting features is the radar jamming system built into the rear-view mirror.

Amazingly enough, the system worked flawlessly in Jalopnik’s test. The savings in speed tickets alone means that this car will pay for itself in time. Well…maybe not. Hit up Jalopnik to get the full test-drive details. [Jalopnik]

Mini Coyote Saves Us from the Worst Orwellian Abomination Ever: Speedtrap Cameras

Matt Buchanan — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:45:50 +0000

Of all the Big Brother things corporations, governments, and other nosy entities that want to examine all the minutiae of our daily lives looking for transgressions of stupid little rules, I feel like speedtrap cameras are the most egregious. Endemic in Europe, they’re gaining a foothold in the US. They break the whole system that governs the way we drive on American highways, the fundamental fairness of the road, that unspoken agreement between poh-lice and people who drive: It’s only speeding if a living, breathing cop spots you. And even then, they might just let you pass. The Mini Coyote from Novus can restore this balance.

It’s a GPS device that sits on your dashboard and relays the position of speeding cameras in just three seconds, giving you enough time to slow down while remaining within the limits of the law (in France, at least). It relies on fellow freedom lovers to report the position of speed cameras, but so far it’s been a success—27,000 cameras were reported by 50,000 drivers in September alone. And you know what? Despite British tightwads saying that it opens drivers to prosecution for “perverting the course of justice,” Novus has a real point in arguing that it improves safety in at least one way—it means fewer people slamming on their brakes as they spot a camera, preventing collisions.

I find the whole argument that it’s unfair annoying. Red light cameras, I’m okay with. It’s never, ever safe to run a red light. On the other hand, more speed, unencumbered, can actually mean fewer fatalities and accidents. And these things are no substitute for actual police officers who can make real decisions. Besides that, tech one-upmanship is the whole game: Cops get radar, drivers get radar detectors. They move to laser, detectors pick up laser. It’s as American as apple pie, Cheetos and Mountain Dew. So the Mini Coyote can’t get here fast enough. [Pocket Lint]