Japan's Nissan Motor on Friday unveiled
a new version of its egg-shaped Pivo concept car that can drive sideways and
has a small robot to assist with navigation or calm down angry drivers. Nissan
says, "You are never alone in the Pivo 2," which is either reassuring or creepy,
depending on your point of view. The robotic head says preprogrammed phrases
such as, "Relax, don't worry," if the driver seems upset. The driver's facial
expressions are analyzed by the robotic bobblehead's digital camera eyes and a
microphone that studies the driver's voice for changes in volume and speaking
speed.
The Pivo 2 three-seater electric car has wheels that can turn 90 degrees for
easy parallel parking. Like its predecessor, which was unveiled two years ago,
the new Pivo has a cabin able to revolve 360 degrees, eliminating the need to
reverse. A round-eyed robot head sitting on the dashboard has cameras that can
tell when a driver is getting sleepy. Like the original Pivo, the Pivo 2 is
powered by advanced compact lithium-ion batteries. It is said to travel about 78
miles on a single charge and plugs into a regular home electric socket. The Pivo
2 will be exhibited at the Tokyo Motor Show near the capital from October 27.