Car hackers use laptop to control standard car

[Russ Chung]

They plugged a Nintendo handset into the ODBC port and were able to start, stop and steer a Ford Escape and a Toyota Prius.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23443215

[Kodiak Spirit]

sure, easy... up,up,down,down,left, right,left,right,B,A,select,start right? :devil:

[Zoobi]

I can understand controlling the throttle because of the drive by wire system, the brakes can be over ridden through anti-lock manipulation. The steering on the other hand would be difficult considering it's not directly controlled by a computer unless it had a "self park" feature (where the car can parallel park itself). The electric power steering uses sensors and and a computer to monitor vehicle speed and turning. The steering rack is manually controlled, with the assist controlled by a computer. I honestly don't see it being a "theft" issue. If you wanted the cars bad enough you would just tow them away. People have been "hacking" automotive software for years, its called performance tuning.


Scott

[sarah]

That's a wild story! Welcome to the future...