Nissan NSC-2015 self-driving car with LTE and smartphone connectivity (test-ride with video)

NSC-2015 will be the machine that keeps us out of strange new parking lots. It's a concept car from Nissan, part of the CEATEC 2012 Smart Mobility Zero exhibit that has half the show floor covered by crazy electric-powered cars of all shapes and sizes.

The idea is the car could drive itself down the street, find a parking spot and tuck itself in there -- and then return to you at the touch of a button. Not quite KITT-style but it could at least put some valets out of work. However, due to current legalities that's not entirely possible, as someone must be sitting behind the wheel. But, in a private parking lot it could at least navigate the aisles without you onboard.

While all this is going on you can watch the status of the car remotely on a smartphone, as the car has an integrated LTE connection. You can see where the car is, where it's going and even get a notification whenever it has detected that someone is tampering with it. You can then bring up a full 360-degree view of what's going on around the car and, if you see something shady, set off a car alarm remotely. This was demonstrated on a Galaxy S III.

//engadget.com