This is an add-on to exsisting automatic transmission cars. The car would keep the gear shift it came with. The system would shift the gearshift for you. Start your car. Put your foot on the brake for the first time, it shifts into reverse automatically. The next time you apply the brake it shifts into drive automatically. If you dont wan't to drive in the gear engages, just brake, its an automatic. Of corse the system could be turned on and off, and maybe even programmed to your specific driving habits. This could all be accomplished by using a servo to move the gearshift and a microprocessor. Custom BASIC code of something to process all the data coming in from the sensors. Saftey sensors like accelerometers, the ABS wheel sensors (RPM), brake sensor, gas pedel sensor, and the actual gearshift position sensor.-- evilpenguin, Jun 30 2007 Torque converter behind transmission Torque_20converter_...hind_20transmission [Ned_Ludd, Jul 04 2007] Manual-a-Matic Manual-a-MaticI think it's a pretty good idea [acurafan07, Jul 04 2007] Sorry dude but I'm just not feeling this one. I mean if one is too lazy to shit a lever, one should not be operating an automobile. And I personally would prefer a car command where you'd hit a button and say something like "Shift: Drive".-- acurafan07, Jun 30 2007 Let me just say.... I can't drive automatics personally. Not saying I don't know how, but I just can't. I can't stand upshifting in an automatic. I hate loss of control. I drive 5 speed, intill I die.-- evilpenguin, Jun 30 2007 <winces> Jesus, acura. I'mnot sure if it's me being lazy, or maybe just a little scared, but I certainly don't want to "shit a lever" either.
Not sure why I would want to...-- Custardguts, Jun 30 2007 Lol, <correction> shift <correction>-- acurafan07, Jun 30 2007 How about a monstrously powerful torquey motor, with one forward gear, and if the vehicle is stopped and you floor the gas while standing on the brake, the car will reverse.-- Giblet, Jun 30 2007 Great for stop and go traffic. [-]-- nuclear hobo, Jun 30 2007 //I can't drive automatics ... I hate loss of control.// I heard a girlfriend say that once. I should have run like hell.
Um, the idea. Making it work is trivial. Having it work might be nice, at least for the start-out-in-reverse bit. It should go in reverse until braked to a complete stop, then switch to forward.-- baconbrain, Jun 30 2007 I am guessing there is no traffic on the street where you live. For us the pattern is "Put it in reverse. Backup to the end of the driveway. Stop. Wait for gap in traffic. Reverse into lane. Shift to drive. Go."
Oh, and how would you ever parallel park with this system?-- Galbinus_Caeli, Jun 30 2007 [Galbinus] you would parallel park as you would normally, with the intact shifter in the car.
[baconbrain] //It should go in reverse until braked to a complete stop, then switch to forward. // Thats exactly the idea. Guess this wasn't sufficently conveyed. And this isn't perfect if it ran the way I discribed. It would have to be programmed to suite your needs. Also it would have to alert you to the gears being changed, some kind of noise over the radio speakers....-- evilpenguin, Jun 30 2007 //Custom BASIC code // For this, I am almost prepared to forgive the stupidity of the idea. I'd love a car programmable in BASIC.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 30 2007 [acura]'s typo made me spit out my sandwich.
Let's go back a little further in programmability: FORTRAN.
"Okay, time to go. Hand me that stack of cards, there."-- elhigh, Jul 03 2007 //if one is too lazy to shift a lever, one should not be operating an automobile//
Here in the U.S., drivers are too lazy to: * watch the road and traffic * keep their tires/tyres properly inflated * comply with traffic control devices * stay in one lane
I see automatic transmissions themselves useful only for operators with some physical disability preventing them from operating a clutch pedal.-- ed, Jul 03 2007 [ed], couldn't agree with you more.
Although in some cases, automatics do just make more sense. Like you pointed out, drivers here in the U.S. drive horribly. If one lives in the city, to me it just doesn't make sense to take on all the work of a manual in stop and go traffic, while also having to deal with city U.S. drivers (which usually tend to be worse and more agressive than the average).-- acurafan07, Jul 03 2007 //Put your foot on the brake for the first time, it shifts into reverse automatically.//
This is a lot to think about. Couldn't the car just sense whether there's a brick wall / fence/ pedestrian in front of me and assume I want Reverse?-- phundug, Jul 03 2007 I really don't want a vehicle deciding for me what the next course of action should be, under any circumstances. Ever. Voice commands, sure. Thought controlled, alrighty then. But the car just guesses what we're doing. Nope.-- Noexit, Jul 03 2007 Spend as much time in a car as an average American driving cross-country and you'll find out why we don't want to deal with shifting.-- RayfordSteele, Jul 03 2007 [ed] I will never buy an automatic. I couldn't agree more with you. Okay, why do I love a having a clutch so much? There is no fluid(tourque converter) between the engine and the powertrain.-- evilpenguin, Jul 04 2007 Yes, Dance halfbakers, DANCE! I DESIRED THE BONES. This was a real boner of an idea. And you have all fallen for my evil plan. ...Rubs Fins, and burns a hole through the ice and swims away.....-- evilpenguin, Jul 04 2007 ... Lol, didn't see that one coming. I personally like the fluid coupling between engine and transmisson. While it might not be overly efficient, it boosts torque off the line while making sure the engine will never stall. Personally, I would love a manual tranny with a clutch and torque converter (and someone here proposed just that, I just don't remember who).-- acurafan07, Jul 04 2007 Oh dear! cant even be bothered to use an automatic transmission!! Christ! what next an automatic mastication machine for those who cant be bothered to chew their food? No wonder America has an obesity problem-- S-note, Jul 04 2007 Meh, I don't know: I think you're nearly there.
Driving cars in old computer games, you always had a "faster" button and a "slower" button. Pressing "slower" whilst stationary made you go backwards.
A brake pedal that slows your forward motion or accelerates your backward motion sounds good to me.
(I drive manual myself, like everyone else in the UK who has use of both legs.)-- teedyay, Jul 04 2007 What is that penguin rubbing with its FLIPPERS? Something with fins, but I cannot tell what.-- Galbinus_Caeli, Jul 04 2007 Might've been mine, [acurafan07]: see link.-- Ned_Ludd, Jul 04 2007 No I found it (link). But it's good to see you're still here [Ned_Ludd], haven't seen any ideas from you in a while.-- acurafan07, Jul 04 2007 //I really don't want a vehicle deciding for me what the next course of action should be, under any circumstances. //
It's a perfect defense in traffic court, though.-- phundug, Jul 05 2007 If by lazy you mean stinkin' drunk, well then you just might have something there [evilpenguin].-- quantum_flux, Oct 15 2007 Ugh.-- elhigh, Oct 16 2007 that was fast-- evilpenguin, Oct 16 2007 You would probably spend more effort braking and double braking and checking to see what gear its in before you can figure out if you are ready to proceed in whatever direction you are going in. How about 2 acceleratior pedals? One for forward and one for backwards.-- Jscotty, Oct 16 2007 as you wish [-] because i like you.-- Brian the Painter, Dec 31 2012 random, halfbakery