An iPad could be used as a remote control for an old Opel Vectra, Russian computer experts have demonstrated in a home. To move the vehicle, also sold as Holden in Australia in the late 1990s, the geeks connected servo motors to metal rods that control the wheel steering and gear selection.

However, since the experiment was tried in an ice-cold country, the tester had to deal with touching the iPad's surface's touchscreen during sub-zero outdoor temperatures. The Apple device requires fingertip heat to adjust the controls.

The other hurdles that the vehicle manufacturing industry has to address is the legal and safety aspects amid more experiments on pilotless driving.

Volvo, Volkswagen and Subaru have automatic brake systems in place for emergencies while Google is experimenting with driverless vehicles for several years now.

Rio Tinto, a mining giant, has driverless trucks used to ferry coal.

The Russian experiment is still way off reel stunts such as fictional detective James Bond using in 007: Tomorrow Never Dies, a cell phone to drive his BMW away from his opponents.

One limitation of their experiment is that it could not move at top speed although it works best for short-range movement. The geeks also plan to control the car using the Internet.

It is not the first attempt at automated driving using an iPad as the remote control. After the iPad's release, the AutoNOMOS team from Frele University in Berlin, Germany, developed a taxi ordering app called Pick me up which allows a user to order a cab using their iPad. The taxi finds their location using GPS, and upon arrival, the taxi picks up the passenger who enters their destination point on their iPad.

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