The Driving Nightmare - the Car That Talks Back
LONDON (Reuters) - It could be the ultimate nightmare for motorists -- the car that cracks jokes and talks back.

It is not science fiction but an invention by U.S. computer maker IBM and could be in an automobile near you within five years, according to New Scientist magazine.

Dubbed the Artificial Passenger by inventors Wlodek Wlodzimierz and Dimitri Kanevsky, the system involves an on-board computer containing a profile of the driver.

Intended to keep the motorist alert while at the wheel, the system which includes a conversation planner program which will rap out questions and measure response times.

A slow or mumbled response -- let alone a wrong one -- will be quickly punished by a squirt of icy water, an opened window or an alarm buzzer.

It even has a sneaky side, changing radio stations to see if the driver notices or cracking a joke and listening for a laugh.

 

I seem to remember that a few years ago Nissan had a talking computerized info center. A gentle female voice related all sorts of data/information. Evidently, the public didn't take to the system and it died a quick death after a couple of years. I think the icy water squirter is a figment of the writer's imagination.

 

i actually saw something in tokyo a few years back during my honeymoon, and it was something similar to what lvs2k is talking about. of course being the chauvinistic type of guy i liked having that soothing Japanese female (almost submissive) voice around