Big news! Automotive Map has moved to a new site and has changed its name to Your Test Driver. You'll notice the same format, writing style, and content on the new site. That's because Your Test Driver is run by Chris Teague, the former editor of Automotive Map. We hope to see you there for continued coverage of news, reviews, and features from around the automotive industry.
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Where I live, it’s nearly impossible to get and keep cars clean. In the winter, we’ve got sand, salt, and all manner of freezing precipitation, and in summer our roads are potholed from the winter plows. As a result, I don’t spend a ton of time stressing over washing my cars, but I recently got to test a new product that may change that. Glove Box is an automotive gift box company that offers subscriptions and standalone boxes for gearheads and novices alike.
Boxes are available for as little as $35.Glove Box
Glove Box sent me a trial kit with leather cleaner and various wash solutions to test out and the boxes can be purchased individually, so you don’t have to commit to a subscription to get the full effect. I got the Ultimate Car Detailing Gift Box, which came with several cleaning and drying cloths, sponges, and around three months of wash supplies.
The company doesn’t specify brands with its boxes, so the products you receive will likely be different than the brands and products I got. That said, the products were all high quality and the microfiber towels are some of the best I’ve used so far, so I imaging other boxes will be the same quality.
Glove Box's towels are some of the best we've used. Glove Box
Glove Box offers three subscription lengths, ranging from three months to one year. Pricing lands at $116.94 for three months, $222.93 for six months, and $438.87 for a year. The Ultimate Car Detailing Gift Box is $89.99, and the company offers boxes for as little as $35.
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Pets are one of life's great pleasures, but there's no disputing that they're a ton of work. Cleaning, vet visits, and walks are just the beginning, so it's always interesting to see the products that promise to make pet ownership more manageable. Toyota, the world's largest automaker, filed a patent for a self-driving dog-walking robot that looks nearly as advanced as many cars today.
Logic helps the bot determine when to clean up a mess. Toyota
The main structure appears to be a platform with various attachments, and though the intention is for the machine to walk the dog for you, there's space for a person to ride. The vehicle is completely autonomous and does not require a person to guide it on walks. Sensors keep the robot from running over the dog and maintain speed.The patent paperwork includes several decision trees and logic for how the vehicle responds in various dog walking scenarios. One uses the vehicle's sensors to gauge the dog's distance from the robot. If the dog wanders too far, the machine can lock the leash and adjust its speed to maintain proper distance. It's the same sort of "thinking" done by autonomous cars on the road, just adjusted for scooping poop and leash management.
Speaking of number-two, dogs tend to poop when they walk, so Toyota had to prepare the robot for some poop scooping. In its decision-making process, Toyota added logic that asks, "Is it detected that the dog has pooped?" If the answer is yes, the machine is then instructed to "Execute collection process." A camera helps determine when the pooping has happened so the machine can do its job. If the dog pees, there's a water sprayer with an onboard tank to rinse the ground.
If your dog is anything like some of ours, it's likely you don't make through more than a few walks without some antics. Our lazy pups frequently get tired of walking and decide it's time for a mid-sidewalk nap, but Toyota's dog walker isn't going to tolerate any of that. The platform features paw sensors that can sense the dog's position and even let it do some driving.
The bot will scoop poop and wash away pee during a walk.
Toyota's patent filing is fun to think about and imagine what could be, but it's still just a patent. The automaker could turn its idea into a line of puppy walkers sold at dealers across the country or file it away as a thought exercise, never to be seen again. Either way, Toyota's got an exciting year ahead of it with the GR Corolla release and bZ4X hitting the streets, and there are rumors of a Crown SUV coming to the automaker's lineup.
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