Garage of the future?

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

For a project I'm working on for Popular Science, what would anybody out there most love to see in a home-workshop garage for their Porsche, say 10 to 15 years in the future?

Let your imagination go wild. I'm thinking of things like some kind of device to raise the car that magically telescopes out of the floor and takes up no space...a tiny, silent air compressor that puts out enough to run even a HVLP paint gun...a parts cleaner that works in some potentially do-able but still nonexistent solvent-less way.

Including any kind of tools that you'd love to see that don't exist.

Stephan

[RickM]

Stephan,

How about:

- Parts cleaner that's environmetally "clean". Using Ultrasonic technology.

- Changing the color of your car by using pigmented high tech plastic sheets. Lay the sheet on a panel and use a heat gun to adhere/shrink it in place.

- My weekend project? I'm going to apply a window tint film that can be electrically controled for percentage of darkness.

- Most of my tools are now reliably powered by fuel cells (hydrogen or "Super batteries?), not air.

I'll come up with more

[yelcab1]

You have been watching way too many reruns of the orginal Star Trek (you know the ones with William Shatner in his very funny T-shirt and Leonard Nemoy was merely old enough to order a drink).

Those shows have been theorizing the following technologies:

1. Space transport via particle bean (Not yet possible, for another 1000 years)
2. Warp drive (not yet possible, although speed of light is no longer a constant)
3. Automatic language translation (almost possible but not quite, maybe another 5 generations of chips)
4. Medical exam via a hand held scanner (scan is possible, hand-held device maybe another 50 years)
5. Ray guns (invented for space use, but not in a hand-held device, for that we still use a Baretta 9 mm)
6. Time travel (Jury is always out on that one)

10-15 years from now? I am betting that I will still have my hydraulic hand jack, jack stands, noisy compressors, Pneumatic hand tools, 8 foot tall ceiling that basically eliminates the car lift, complaining neighbors to basically eliminates any possibility of painting in the home or driveways, and insurance companies that will refuse to let you have a car lift in the home due to liability reasons.

Now, if you do have $1M, live out in the boon-dog, and want to pay for it, you can get:

1. A single post car lift that buries itself in the floor (Old tech)
2. Expensive oil drive compressor that makes 4 times less noise (old tech)
3. Paint-booth in the backyard with sheets of plastic (old tech)
4. Sonic parts cleaner big enough for an engine (old tech, but expensive)

Then, all is possible.

[Crachian]

How about a flexible shaft, power driven ratchet with a self adjusting head that fits all hex sizes within a range. Maybe a collet, sliding teeth design would work. And it would have enough torque to render all but the most specialized of hand wrenches and sockets obsolete. Cheap too.

[Dantilla]

When I drop a bolt, I want it to roll OUT from under the car. Not to it's geometric center, where you can't get it from either side of the car without crawling under it!

And a quicker way to un-stick frozen/rusty fasteners. Dowsing with
WD-40 and waiting gets old.

And voice- activated service manuals. The right page is projected on the wall, instead of greasy fingers turning pages.

[Dantilla]

Or maybe just some droids to fix the car while I am in the house.

[911ctS]

RickM had a good one with Hydrogen power.

You could have the whole roof of the garage covered with photovotaic (probably spelled wrong) cells. Solar energy would aid in the conversion of Hydrogen to a practical form of storable energy on tap.

[widebody911]

I there was a way to harness methane and sulphur dioxide emissions, my garage would be self-sufficient.

[Noel]

On the Star Trek theme, how about teleporting old gearbox and engine oil out of the car and then back in with fresh oil. No mess, no fuss. Same with brake fluid. Although, by then I would hope that brakes are no longer hydraulic.
Also, use sonic waves to clean a car.

[pwd72s]

How about a star trek like "replicator"? Instead of food, one could say: "2.7 RS pistons & Cylinders"... Or, some magic way to repair stripped gears, holed pistons, etc...?

[svandamme]

Originally posted by Noel
On the Star Trek theme, how about teleporting old gearbox and engine oil out of the car and then back in with fresh oil. No mess, no fuss. Same with brake fluid. Although, by then I would hope that brakes are no longer hydraulic.
Also, use sonic waves to clean a car.

dude, you're still thinking "old school"

why bother teleporting the tranny and engine out of the car, when you can teleport replace just the fluids ?!?!

[RickM]

Originally posted by pwd72s
How about a star trek like "replicator"? Instead of food, one could say: "2.7 RS pistons & Cylinders"... Or, some magic way to repair stripped gears, holed pistons, etc...?

There ya go. A replicator or prototyper. Download a file from Porsche (or design your own part) and the piece is automatically machined in a compact Laser/Water/Mill/Lathe.

[svandamme]

i guess you could actually already buy a C&C machine to do this, only 3 problems:
it's a big beast
the plans aren't available in a C&C ready format
it's kinda expensive , you could buy 10 early 911's in super condition and still have change to buy parts

[kqw]

How about a device that plugs into your car and runs a complete mechanical diagnosis. That machine will also provide a step by step solution to the problems it discovers along with identifying potential problems.

[RickM]

Originally posted by svandamme
i guess you could actually already buy a C&C machine to do this, only 3 problems:
it's a big beast
the plans aren't available in a C&C ready format
it's kinda expensive , you could buy 10 early 911's in super condition and still have change to buy parts

That's the point though. In the future it will be relatively inexpensive, compact and usable for a DIY garage.

[Noel]

I was just talking about teleporting just the fluids (See my post), but now that I think about it again, I would definately have the teleporter hooked up to the "Clapper." "Clap on" = Old Fluid out, "Clap off" = new fluid in.

[svandamme]

yeah , that would be pretty sweet, but i wouldn't bet on having it around in the next 40 years. having that kinda of technology at home would be kinda bad for economy and unemployment.

technologically , everything could evolve to a have everything done by machines, but considering that global population keeps growing that would be impossible to sustain... A we can't spend the days of our lives doing zip B can't make money doing nothing C can't spend money we don't have... if they take automation any further than they have today, then i forsee massive problems.

[svandamme]

oh, noel, misread that line of yours

[Phoenix]

Just two items on my list. One from Star Trek and one from the Matrix:

Star Trek: a replicator capable of reproducing any and all parts, tools, oils, lubricants, gasolines, brakefluids, etc... (I'd always have what I need when I need it.)

The Matrix: plug me in an teach me how to drive like Sterling Moss and give me all the combined diagnosis and repair knowledge of this board. (I'd always know what I need, how to use it and how to make it all work for me on the road and on the track)

Not too much to ask....

[Emission]

I'd like to see some sort of hologram overlay projected on the engine/part that shows the name and description of what it does - this allows me to name (with part numbers) everything on the vehicle.

I'd like that same hologram/projection to be able to be animated (with the help from a computer) to walk me through replacing a part. I am still doing the work (for the fun), but the computer is my "virtual" chief mechanic at my side. The computer hologram would draw arrows of what step is next... etc...

Better garage lighting - the whole ceiling panel, or an entire wall or floor, is LED enabled (cool and bright). I can control which panels or what area I want illuminated... to focus light where I want it. Of course, some are blacklights so I can do my phospherous leak diagnostics!