Tomorrow Never Dies BMW 7 series - Phase 2 ideas
bondmobile
Posts: 92MI6 Agent
Gentlemen:
So I've done a couple of fun low-tech car builds so far:
http://www.craveonline.com/film/articles/194183-star-cars-ep-4-herbie-the-love-bug-and-his-evil-twin
http://www.craveonline.com/film/articles/195409-star-cars-ep-7-james-bond-tomorrow-never-dies-bmw
http://www.craveonline.com/lifestyle/articles/203033-the-spy-who-loved-his-car-007-parody
Time to go a bit more modern.
I'm partnering with the CEO of a startup software/games company called "HYDRA" that already has several successful home automation and interactive database systems for vintage arcades under their belt. HYDRA is already being used to run an on-set real time simulator for the time machine prop I built for "Inspector Spacetime", and we're in the planning stages of simulators for both the screen-used TARDIS prop I restored last year and the Paramount-built Star Trek:TNG bridge being restored as a non-profit science and educational museum that I'm the technical lead. But the CEO is a big Bond fan, so we've decided to try and turn my Bond car into the computer and phone controlled Q-Branch object seen in 1997.
Today the HYDRA team and I had a great conference about the possibilities for a mobile simulation using a server in the trunk that can use GPS tracking, bluetooth phone connection, and a bunch of interesting interface options to allow for full phone or voice control of all of my existing BMW gadgets as well as a few new ones on the drawing board.
Since we're in the planning phase, anything is possible at the moment. I'm always impressed with the creativity of ideas that come out of this board for Bond props - if the sky is the limit, what would you enjoy seeing?
If you could respond to voice or phone control with the snooty German AI from the film ("Welcome. Please fasten seatbelt and obey all instructions" etc) - what would you enjoy seeing it do on the video screens or how would you like to see it control the car?
Right now here are a few of the gags we're talking about:
- RFID cards which can tag passers-by as friendly or enemy agents
- 4 or 5 small cameras as used in the film for backseat driving, with custom video overlays in the style of "Quantum of Solace" on both the navigation screen and the large fold-down screen I currently have for video games in the sunroof
- Outdoor speakers under full computer control in the fenders and full computer control of the interior sound system
- computer/phone/voice control of all of the gadgets, including upgrades to the sunroof to allow it to fire soft foam missiles, the sliding rear bumper with firing foam mortars and tire spike tray, and front mounted light and sound machine guns using surplus barrels from keo2eww's DB6 build.
- Custom phone application which allows for pictures shot on phone to be automatically uploaded to car with displays of threat level for suspects. Also includes simple video gags as seen in TND like fingerprint scanner, taser, lock pick, etc.
- Computer/phone/voice control of all of the easy car functions to tap into wiring for (sensing doors open, control of lights, lock/unlock, horn, etc.)
- Temperature monitoring for champagne cooler in rear seat armrest
- iBus or OBD-II code reader linked to computer for updated real-time display of all of the various data currently shown on BMW Nav screen
- Custom video loops and graphic animations to play on the screen
- Downloadable mobile application which would allow Bond fans to play a geotagging "spy" game at any car show or event where the BMW is parked - their photos would be uploaded to the car server for everyone to see. Perhaps fans can take pictures of an invisible Vanquish based on their GPS position?
- Simple bluetooth buttons or headsets integrated into Brosnan-era gadgets like the Goldeneye mines or piton gun, or modern gadgets like the Skyfall radio transmitters (assuming I can find a small enough bluetooth widget) which allow the car to track and respond to the position or use of the hand props as part of the AI.
Anyone else have any fun ideas?
(No, I'm not going to turn the BMW into a full-size radio controlled car. That's far too dangerous for the charity shows where the BMW is displayed!)
Also - I've already reached out to a couple of the artists on here whose work I've admired (Kurty and Mr Zareeba, looking at you), but if anyone else is interested in joining the "Spacetime"/"TARDIS" art team on this and helping out with some simple still art in various MI6 logos and styles - please email me.
The HYDRA software engine can already do everything we can think of in terms of logic, and HYDRA is HTML5 based so we can use anything viewable in photoshop. 3D models of any cool spy or MI6 widgets would also be appreciated, but most of the work for this art team is skinning all of the various heads up displays and status screens so they look suitably Bondish.
Cheers
--Brian
So I've done a couple of fun low-tech car builds so far:
http://www.craveonline.com/film/articles/194183-star-cars-ep-4-herbie-the-love-bug-and-his-evil-twin
http://www.craveonline.com/film/articles/195409-star-cars-ep-7-james-bond-tomorrow-never-dies-bmw
http://www.craveonline.com/lifestyle/articles/203033-the-spy-who-loved-his-car-007-parody
Time to go a bit more modern.
I'm partnering with the CEO of a startup software/games company called "HYDRA" that already has several successful home automation and interactive database systems for vintage arcades under their belt. HYDRA is already being used to run an on-set real time simulator for the time machine prop I built for "Inspector Spacetime", and we're in the planning stages of simulators for both the screen-used TARDIS prop I restored last year and the Paramount-built Star Trek:TNG bridge being restored as a non-profit science and educational museum that I'm the technical lead. But the CEO is a big Bond fan, so we've decided to try and turn my Bond car into the computer and phone controlled Q-Branch object seen in 1997.
Today the HYDRA team and I had a great conference about the possibilities for a mobile simulation using a server in the trunk that can use GPS tracking, bluetooth phone connection, and a bunch of interesting interface options to allow for full phone or voice control of all of my existing BMW gadgets as well as a few new ones on the drawing board.
Since we're in the planning phase, anything is possible at the moment. I'm always impressed with the creativity of ideas that come out of this board for Bond props - if the sky is the limit, what would you enjoy seeing?
If you could respond to voice or phone control with the snooty German AI from the film ("Welcome. Please fasten seatbelt and obey all instructions" etc) - what would you enjoy seeing it do on the video screens or how would you like to see it control the car?
Right now here are a few of the gags we're talking about:
- RFID cards which can tag passers-by as friendly or enemy agents
- 4 or 5 small cameras as used in the film for backseat driving, with custom video overlays in the style of "Quantum of Solace" on both the navigation screen and the large fold-down screen I currently have for video games in the sunroof
- Outdoor speakers under full computer control in the fenders and full computer control of the interior sound system
- computer/phone/voice control of all of the gadgets, including upgrades to the sunroof to allow it to fire soft foam missiles, the sliding rear bumper with firing foam mortars and tire spike tray, and front mounted light and sound machine guns using surplus barrels from keo2eww's DB6 build.
- Custom phone application which allows for pictures shot on phone to be automatically uploaded to car with displays of threat level for suspects. Also includes simple video gags as seen in TND like fingerprint scanner, taser, lock pick, etc.
- Computer/phone/voice control of all of the easy car functions to tap into wiring for (sensing doors open, control of lights, lock/unlock, horn, etc.)
- Temperature monitoring for champagne cooler in rear seat armrest
- iBus or OBD-II code reader linked to computer for updated real-time display of all of the various data currently shown on BMW Nav screen
- Custom video loops and graphic animations to play on the screen
- Downloadable mobile application which would allow Bond fans to play a geotagging "spy" game at any car show or event where the BMW is parked - their photos would be uploaded to the car server for everyone to see. Perhaps fans can take pictures of an invisible Vanquish based on their GPS position?
- Simple bluetooth buttons or headsets integrated into Brosnan-era gadgets like the Goldeneye mines or piton gun, or modern gadgets like the Skyfall radio transmitters (assuming I can find a small enough bluetooth widget) which allow the car to track and respond to the position or use of the hand props as part of the AI.
Anyone else have any fun ideas?
(No, I'm not going to turn the BMW into a full-size radio controlled car. That's far too dangerous for the charity shows where the BMW is displayed!)
Also - I've already reached out to a couple of the artists on here whose work I've admired (Kurty and Mr Zareeba, looking at you), but if anyone else is interested in joining the "Spacetime"/"TARDIS" art team on this and helping out with some simple still art in various MI6 logos and styles - please email me.
The HYDRA software engine can already do everything we can think of in terms of logic, and HYDRA is HTML5 based so we can use anything viewable in photoshop. 3D models of any cool spy or MI6 widgets would also be appreciated, but most of the work for this art team is skinning all of the various heads up displays and status screens so they look suitably Bondish.
Cheers
--Brian
Comments
I loved "The spy who loved his car " -{ Good luck with your Project.