New RV Gadgets

Each year the suppliers of the RV industry come up with new or improved RV gadgets and products for the coming season.  While this involves hundreds of RV products, we will look at some of the least known.

The ever “Beeping” backup alarm is a common sound in RV parks everywhere.  So common that most people simply tune the sound out as it reverberates throughout the entire campground. This somewhat defeats their purpose.  A new reversing alarm, introduced in Europe, may change all of that.  Instead of blasting the audible beep everywhere, this new device projects a “Static” like tone only in the direction of people that would be affected by this maneuver.  While it may take some time before this reaches the RV market, we will probably see it used commercially in the future.

Vorad Radar, by Bendex.  While this very nifty system, used in the commercial truck market, has been available on some higher line coaches, it is thought to be offered by a wider number of RV builders in the future.  The Vorad is quite pricey, but, as it offers increased driving safety with its anti-collision and adaptive cruise control features, it may be well worth it.  When activated, it will automatically reduce and maintain the vehicles speed providing a safe distance behind traffic ahead in the same lane.  With the coming of near self-driving automobiles, this is probably the best driving automation we will see for the motorhome market for some time.

LCD Glass Windows.  Currently used on some of the latest Boeing aircraft, these electronically controlled window designs provide adjustable light intensity from clear to black.  A layer of LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) embedded in the glass utilizes pixel angling to achieve the desired darkness.  Though not yet available for the RV industry, this could help to reduce energy by keeping a motorhome cooler on hot sunny days.  Some weight reduction may also be gained by eliminating some window coverings.

Smart RV’s are in their infancy.  With the advancements of electronics in today’s recreational vehicles, the Smart RV is arriving in some highline this year.  This system can allow owners to check things like interior temperature, battery voltage, live video and more via a Smart phone or tablet from anywhere in the world.  In addition, they can interact to make adjustments and operate many features from right on site or from any remote location.  Kits are now becoming available that can allow existing rigs to be Smart RV configured.

Well, those are just some of the exiting things we can expect to see in the not so far future.  What new gadgets have you heard about or wish would become available?