Russian Enthusiasts Modify Car to Be Controlled via iPad - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Russian Enthusiasts Modify Car to Be Controlled via iPad

by

A group of Russian car enthusiasts announced on their blog (translated via Red Hot Russia) that they have modified a car to be controlled remotely by an iPad.

The group used an iPad 3 and created an app to control the car via a host of added electronic components to control the acceleration, steering, braking and gear shifting in addition to seeing the road from the perspective of the car.

russianipadcar

While doing tests outside, I froze like a dog. Besides, the tablet screen quickly becomes wet and fingers numb and lose sensitivity, making tapping on the screen more difficult. Also, in the street it’s difficult to see clearly the picture from the rear view mirror – the screen brightness is not sufficient. Plus the windshield is quickly covered with snow.

The car was initially called the "James Bond Car," inspired by a scene from Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies" where Bond controls his car with a phone. After the initial test, they started referring to the car as "Opel Virta," a play on the model of the car, which is an Opel Vectra.


The iPad-controlled setup is actually transferrable to any car with an automatic transmission that houses a direct transmission selector, which means that controls like "drive," "neutral," "reverse" and "park" are in a straight line.

Top Rated Comments

Mr. Retrofire Avatar
170 months ago
In America you control the iPad in a car. In soviet russia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakov_Smirnoff#Russian_reversal), the iPad controls your car.

;-)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
whooleytoo Avatar
170 months ago
Having seen some crazy road-rage incidents from Russian dash-cams, I'm not surprised they've figured out how to drive without being in the car!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jayomat Avatar
170 months ago
Cool but dangerous. You need the tactile depth of touch of the steering wheel and the pedals to feel the road and control the car.

You lose perspective trying to do this with an iPad.
There is this scene in a James Bond movie where he controls his car during a high-speed chase from the back seat with his cell phone touch screen.
It was cool but completely unbelievable.

Most people couldn't do it.
you don't say?! ;)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
herr_neumann Avatar
170 months ago


Most people couldn't do it.

Most people aren't James Bond....
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ConCat Avatar
170 months ago
In America you control the iPad in a car. In soviet russia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakov_Smirnoff#Russian_reversal), the iPad controls your car.

;-)

In soviet Russia, iPad drives you!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jm001 Avatar
170 months ago
Vodka, an iPad and an unmanned vehicle... yup this'll end well.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Wednesday March 18, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another six months or so, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component...
ios 26 4 yellow

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for iOS 26.4

Wednesday March 18, 2026 11:56 am PDT by
Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, which means we're going to see a public launch as soon as next week. The RC versions of the software include Apple's official release notes, giving us final details on what's included in the update. Apple Music - Playlist Playground (beta) generates a playlist from your...
Apple Logo Sketch Feature

Apple Has Now Unveiled Eight New Products This Month

Tuesday March 17, 2026 9:25 am PDT by
Apple has unveiled a whopping eight new products so far this March, including an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the all-new MacBook Neo, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, and now the AirPods Max 2 this week. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as the iPhone...
Related Apple News: Lifestyle | Health | Entertainment | News | Sport