The app that goes behind the wheel

Oh, to be able to drive a real car using a remote control.

This ultimate boys’ toy was spotted on the big screen 12 years ago in Bond flick ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ when Pierce Brosnan piloted a BMW around a car park using (what now looks like) a charmingly retro mobile phone. That was then – and thatwas fiction. Now, though, someclever German researchers have created an application – iDrive – that turns a handset into the most kick-ass bit of steering kit known to man.With controls to accelerate, brake and steer, the driver’s instructions are sent to the specially rigged car over Wi-Fi. And that’s the catch – this ingenious piece of automotive technology won’t be appearing on the app store any time soon because firstly, you need a special car that’s been packed with extras and secondly, it’s not available to the general public (because that would be lethal). Still, it’s somehowcheering to know that scientists are using blockbusters to get inspiration. Now, where’s my jetpack?