United Arab Emirates University and IBM Middle East has developed the prototype of a car safety device that alerts the driver whenever the vehicle is passing the speed limit of a particular street.

The ‘Smart Box’ can also be integrated with the local traffic department to issue speeding tickets after several ‘voice’ warnings.

Similar to an aircraft black box, the device is equipped with embedded computing power and integrates GSM/GPRS functionality, combined with GPS and voice recognition systems into the vehicle’s systems and environment.

“Smart Box” is part of on-going project that will cover other aspects of telematics: applications able to monitor reckless driving, infotainment (music, games, on-demand movies; personalized news, sports, etc), advanced automobile diagnostics capabilities, remote monitoring and repair, integrating vehicle location with job requirements, driving hours and vehicle condition to maximize efficiency, etc.

Via idgrid AmeInfo.

Talking about cars…
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of democracy in South Africa, BMW will be auctioning off ten special edition 325i’s, they were built in South Africa and are signed by former political prisoner and, later, South African president Nelson Mandela.

The Agenda CNN.