Sony Computer Entertainment Europe just registered for a new patent that lays the framework for a system in which the PlayStation Portable will be used to operate a camera-mounted car remotely.

The system allows the car to move by way of a wireless connection to a PlayStation Portable. The environment is monitored by a mounted camera, which transmits information back to the PSP; users can thereby negotiate terrain. On the control side, the PSP can be used to capture and record video. Visual data can then be uploaded to websites and shared via the Internet. Apparently, Sony also has plans to outfit the car with a speaker and a microphone for further environmental interaction.

Another interesting element of the patent is its designation of “augmented reality zones,” which essentially are pre-determined areas with a virtual perimeter that allows for users to maneuver freely within its borders, but no further. So, users could set up a race track and race cars without fear of crashing inappropriately into obstacles outside of the scope of the reality zone. Another fascinating part of the technology would allow the PlayStation Portable to render real-life objects as computer-generated images. So, while the cars are racing around on planet Earth between road cones, the PlayStation Portable could show those cones as gnarly extraterrestrial pylons.

Gnarly.