Revolutionary Advances in Car Intelligence
The imaginations of Hollywood filmmakers and TV producers are beginning to lag behind the technical advancements being ushered in by car manufacturers. The technology of Knight Rider is becoming less like science fiction and more like science reality. But what exactly is the current progress being made and how will it affect drivers and motoring?
300 data streams for performance monitoring
Formula One is obviously one area in which continuous new technologies are necessary to keep the cars ahead of the pack. The current McLarens driven by Jensen Button and Lewis Hamilton utilise over 300 data streams to monitor the performance of the car and driver through super sensitive sensors. From fuel levels to the actual heart rate of the driver, it will only be a matter of time before this technology becomes cheap enough to implement within domestic cars.
Chrysler and space technology
Among the manufacturers, one that is driving innovation forward is Chrysler, who are working in partnership with NASA boffins to incorporate space technology in future models, including cutting edge wireless networking, mobility systems, sophisticated radar and robotics. However, it is perhaps ultra sensitive surface navigation sensors that will make the biggest difference, providing pinpoint accurate information about the road terrain ahead, which the car will use to make tiny adjustments to the suspension and steering.
In-car voice control commands
The hands free operation of smartphones and media devices is a fertile area of innovation, with Ford having developed their new Sync AppLink to allow drivers of their 2011 Ford Fiesta and future models to control music playback and make phone calls simply through voice commands.
Self driving cars are here!
In an astonishing display of new robotic technology, a fully autonomous Audi TTS speedily navigated the dangerous Pike Peak without any driver in the seat. Taking 27 minutes to conquer the 12.42 mile course and reach the 14,100 foot summit, the Audi was developed with technology experts in Stanford University and uses state of the art differential GPS to pinpoint the location within 2cms. Far from aiming to replace drivers altogether, Audi aim to enhance the driving abilities of everyday drivers through their autonomous driving systems.
When it comes to examples of life changing autonomy in vehicles, a test earlier this year of a technologically advanced Ford Escape driven by a blind man takes some beating. Navigating turns, overtaking a van in front and steering around obstacles, the blind man utilised the innovative technology, modelled on the human brain, as his eyes on the road.
Electroencephalography – driving with the power of thought
Seemingly from the pages of outlandish science fiction, the BrainDriver electroencephalography technology created by German researchers, enabling an autonomous Volkswagen Passat to be controlled and driven by thought processes, is very much a reality.
The headset uses electromagnetic signals to communicate with a computer to give directions, enabling the driver to control the acceleration, brakes and steering with thoughts, effectively meaning drivers can think their way around a course.
Cars with the gift of speech and a universal language
Equally groundbreaking is new technology enabling cars to talk to each other, providing updates to boost road safety. Again, Ford are leading the way in this sector, striving to establish a universal language cars can speak through using advanced WiFi capabilities. Vehicles will monitor and mimic the distance and speed of the cars in front, while also identifying possible risks, which manufactures believe will greatly enhance safety on the roads.
Ford have also been working closely with Google I/O to harness cloud connectivity to improve updates about congestion and hazards between cars, empowering drivers to adjust their routes and driving habits with incredible accuracy using the real time data flow.
Experiments with autonomous road trains, in which a line of driverless cars exactly mimic the lead driver to successfully navigate a road, set this form of comprehensive data sharing between cars in motion, but Ford are pushing the boundaries when it comes to implementing it on everyday roads, seeking to allow cars to optimise its performance using information the driver may not even be aware of.
It’s a brave new world for car technology and anybody who has driven on roads recently must be wondering if cars will soon be more intelligent than the drivers behind the wheel. Considering the calibre of the manufacturers and researchers developing the new technologies, it’s fair to say we are in safer hands than if we just relied on each other’s driving abilities.
Vroom Vroom Vroom is a car hire comparison website with international rental services.
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