Russian Hackers Mod a Dilapidated Opel to Drive by iPad (wired.com)

29 points by swohns 13y ago ↗ HN

11 comments

[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 37.9 ms ] thread

Car firmware that controls all the servos, the camera and interfaces with the iPad over the WiFi is done in ... drumroll ... node.js.

[1] http://www.g0l.ru/blog/n3688/

fus 13y ago ↗

Works fine, except when on an unexpected collision course with a child and a garbage collector (or JIT) kicked in.

IheartApplesDix 13y ago ↗

I love how HN loves node.js and hates Perl for pretty much the same reasons.

martinced 13y ago ↗

Way to go Wired: the video refuses to play on a stock Chromium browser (no Flash).

Geez: is is that hard to serve videos in a HTML5 format recognized by a Flash-less Chrome browser? I mean: many websites seems to be doing it perfectly fine...

(btw I didn't pay attention before clicking: when I see Wired, CNN or Fox, for example, I'm never opening these links : )

hcarvalhoalves 13y ago ↗

> Geez: is is that hard to serve videos in a HTML5 format recognized by a Flash-less Chrome browser?

Yes, it's hard. HTML5 standardized nothing but the tag. Each browser chose to support a different codec.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML5_video#Browser_support

derwiki 13y ago ↗

Same thing done 3 years ago with an iPhone and some Waterloo/UT students: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x5IziyOcAg

komrade 13y ago ↗

So theoretically you can install something like that on a helicopter and control it over the wireless.

cyann 13y ago ↗

Or practically get a Parrot AR.Drone [1], unless you already have the helicopter.

[1] http://ardrone2.parrot.com/ar-drone-2/arfreeflight-20/

g8oz 13y ago ↗

How long before mods like this show up on remotely driven car bombs in war zones like Syria?

orangethirty 13y ago ↗

I shall be impressed when it can go and get me a pizza. :)

malkia 13y ago ↗

In Soviet Russia iPad Drives You!