For your road trip in 2020 Future car technologies.

COMPARING THE AUTO INDUSTRY to the computer industry is like comparing two different generations of technology. We’ve got super-fast smartphones and iPods streaming Rhapsody in our pockets, but satellite radio and clunky GPS devices attached to our dashboards.

Automakers are aware they’re a little behind the times, and by 2020, many are promising dashboard and safety systems as sophisticated as iPads — maybe even more so.


 1. Wifi

Obvious, but vital; most of the technologies on this list would be fairly useless if the car wasn’t a rolling hotspot. Several auto manufacturers are already working on developing wifi for cars. In fact, connected cars are the third fastest-growing technological device, following smartphones and tablets.

Ford has introduced this in some models with their Sync system, and Toyota is working with Intel on developing one of their own. Ideally, these systems will also have the ability to connect to your home network, allowing you to transfer information from your computer or laptop directly to your car.




2. Voice recognition

I take it back — this is the most vital technological advancement in automobiles. If texting increases accident rates, what will happen when drivers can tweet, update their Facebook page, and watch videos on YouTube?

Voice recognition is still making its way from novelty to necessary, even in the smartphone world, as it’s proven a difficult technology to master. But there’s arguably a more urgent need to succeed in this field for car manufacturers than in any other industry; already, the US Department of Transportation is calling to require voice input control of smartphones, mp3 players, tablets, and any other devices drivers may use in the car.

Unfortunately, this technology may also prove to be the most expensive for auto makers. As of now, Apple’s Siri is the only voice recognition system that’s been highly praised — and even Siri is a long, long way from whatever Kirk had on the Enterprise.



3. Digital dashboard

You’re on the road and it’s time to find a hotel. Today, you might fumble with your phone, use an app to search for something nearby, and get directions. Or maybe you’d use that GPS device suction-cupped to your window.

But by 2020, your dashboard will likely resemble a giant iPad. Ideally, that means your car’s system can be linked to whatever cloud service your smartphones and tablets use, allowing you to keep up with texts, calls, emails, social network updates, and apps from behind the wheel. So when you’re ready to check in, you can just open apps like HRS Hotel Portal with a vocal command and talk your car through a map-based search, browse rates and room types, view photos and videos (while you’re parked, hopefully), and book a room.

Toyota calls it HMI (Human-Machine Interface), a system they’re already working on in partnership with Intel and Microsoft. These digital dashboards may turn your USB mobile broadband modem or smartphone into a wireless router, like Ford’s Sync system. Or they could connect with Bluetooth devices like Kia’s Uvo, so making calls and finding music are all voice-controlled.


4. Holographic displays

GEElab (Games and Experimental Entertainment Laboratory) wins here for possibly the best project title ever — they’re currently working on an in-car entertainment system tentatively named “Enjoyable Interactions in the Rear Seat.”

According to Business Review Europe, this system will combine holographic displays with motion sensors to create applications for folks in the backseat that’ll be similar to Microsoft Kinect and Nintendo Wii. While games are the goal, the resulting holographic technology could also be used to display dashboard and control info, as well as GPS.

Even now, some cars are equipped with technology only a step or two away from holographics. S-class and CL-class Mercedes feature SplitView screens, which are pixelated in a way that projects two completely different images — one for the driver and one for the passenger. However, the system is not yet legal in all states.


5. Car-to-car communication


Unlike driver-to-driver communication, this (probably) won’t involve middle fingers. Once cars are connected thanks to technologies such as Intel’s M2M (Machine-to-Machine), they’ll be able to share data with other cars on the road and warn drivers of accidents, as well as figure out alternate routes based on real-time information — which in turn will help cut down on traffic and increase safety on the road.

As an example, the Car2Car Communication Consortium points out a fairly commonplace scenario: A motorcycle is riding alongside or just behind a larger vehicle on a main road, while you wait at an upcoming intersection to make a right turn onto that road. The larger vehicle turns off the road, and because you still can’t see the motorcycle, you pull out — right in its path. With car-to-car technology, both you and the motorcyclist would receive a warning early on, which would likely help avoid a collision.


6. Car-to-X communication

There’s some overlap between car-to-car and car-to-X technology. BMW prefers car-to-X, as they’re looking into designing a system that allows cars to communicate with other systems outside of those in vehicles.

One of these research projects is known as PROTON-PLATA (programmable telematics onboard radio), conducted by DEUFRAKO, a Franco-German cooperation in traffic research. The project is addressing the issues posed by a wide range of digital standards and radio frequencies currently in use in digital broadcasting and mobile telecommunications, all of which are continually upgraded into their “next generations” about every two years. Because the life cycle of a car is significantly longer, drivers are constantly “falling behind” when new systems are released.

The PROTON-PLATA project is researching whether SDR (software defined radio) is the possible answer — technology which will allow all of these systems to be implemented in a single hardware unit.

BMW’s AMULETT (active mobile accident avoidance and mitigation of accident effects through cooperative data acquisition and tracking technology) project focuses on using car-to-X systems to actually communicate with people. The system includes a radio transponder that cyclists and pedestrians wear, which notifies the driver when the wearer is crossing the street or stepping out from behind a parked car.
 
7. Digital goods

Also known as apps. A shift from hardware to software in car systems will mean that by 2020, you won’t need to bring your car in for an actual installation every time you need an upgrade. Just like with your smartphone, it’ll be as simple as visiting the app store. And as Car and Driver pointed out, these systems are relatively inexpensive for car makers, as the technology is already standard in the computer and mobile industries.

This paves the way for developers to focus on entertainment and utilities apps specifically for the driver. Apps to find your “perfect match” on the road. Apps that adjust the music to suit your mood. Apps that adjust the lighting to calm you in stressful situations. Apps that wake you up when you start to drift off thanks to soft music and dim lights.


8. Remote control
 
At the Busan International Motor Show in South Korea last month, Hyundai Motor introduced Bluelink, an IT controlling system that allows smartphone owners to find, unlock, and start their car remotely, as well as turn on the AC and opt to receive texts if there is damage or a break-in. BMW is working on remote-controlled parking.

The next version? Maybe an app that memorizes your preferences and utilizes GPS to detect your proximity to your car. By the time you slide into the driver’s seat, the AC is cranked, the music is on, and there’s a hot cup of coffee in the cupholder. (It’s possible, right?)

                                                       
9. Intuitive safety features

Safety and emergency notifications can be helpful in preventing accidents but, in many cases, a barrage of beeps and ominous blinks only adds to a stressful driving situation.

The solution for some manufacturers is a “pre-safe” system. Scenario: A car in front of you slams on the brakes, and your car senses it’s too close. The system primes the brakes so that even a light tap of the pedal will apply full force, increasing your chances of stopping in time.

In emergencies, your car may even be able to take control and guide you to safety. For example, if your car detects you’re having a heart attack or losing consciousness, BMW’s Emergency Stop Assistant system will locate your car, flip on the emergency flashers, use sensors and video to monitor surrounding traffic, steer you safely off the road, and place a 911 call.

10. Invisible chauffeurs and copilots

Technically, the invisible chauffeur already exists — Google has been test-driving driverless cars in California. Nevada recently approved licenses for “autonomous vehicles,” meaning if you see an empty car cruise down the strip, there’s actually a chance it isn’t a drunken hallucination. And General Motors claims it will have its own driverless cars on road by 2018. An invisible co-pilot, however, has already made its way into upcoming models.

Your car will help you parallel park — if you’ve got a Lexus LS 460 L, the Advanced Parking Guidance System asks you to align the car and put it in reverse before tapping a button. After that, take your hands off the steering wheel, control the speed with your foot on the brake, and let the car manueuver its way in.

Cruise control can go beyond staying at a set speed. With radar sensors on the front of your car, the system will detect the speed of and distance between you and the car in front of you, adjusting cruise control to keep a safe distance.

The co-pilot will also watch out for lateral collisions by using a variety of sensor technologies — lidar, radar, ultrasound, video — to monitor the area surrounding the car and, when another car or object gets too close, applying a “directional impulse” tug to the steering wheel.

11. Health monitor

Ford has announced the development of a car seat with sensors to monitor your heart rate using electrical impulses. Mitsubishi Electric has plans to take this much further, and they believe such an interface will be a reality within the decade.

“Things like the seat position can be customized for all kinds of people,” said Kiyoshi Matsutani, Manager of Automotive Electronics Development Center, at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. “This is done through personal ID, facial temperature measurement, or heart-rate measurement using a Doppler sensor. In this way, the system senses the person’s health condition on that day. The aim is to position the seat and steering to match the driver, and provide information to help with safe driving.”



12. Eco-mode

Researchers at organizations like the Continental Corporation in Germany are focused on using technology to make cars more eco-friendly. According to Popular Mechanics, Continental is developing an interface that includes an “eco” mode, which can search for the most economical route and offer other “green” tips. The system rewards eco-friendly driving behavior — when the four-leaf clover display is filled green, the driver is eligible for rewards from their dealership.
13. Financial GPS
If your future car will be able to communicate with other cars, systems, devices, and humans, why not your bank? BMW has developed a key that functions as a credit card. In 2020, your entire car might become one. Skymeter calls it “Financial GPS.”

“With Financial GPS, consumers can get one bill at the end of the month for every car-related cost: their parking, their insurance, their lease, their roads, even full repairs coverage,” said Kamal Hassan, Skymeter CEO, in a Mashable interview.

“Everything would be paid automatically per minute or per mile, based on your actual driving and parking. Drivers could then control their costs. Not driving for a week would save you money on your lease, your insurance, and even your municipal tax bill.”

This may mean we’re facing a future in which toll passes forever lost between car seats have become obsolete.
Source from:http://startuseof.blogspot.com

The Imagining the future car of 2050: Faster forward

It all started with a short e-mail exchange. Asked about the future car, an unnamed representative from an American automaker called the idea ridiculous. By 2050, we’ll all be living on another planet flying around in jetpacks, he joked. Cars might not even exist. Yet, as everyone who studies technology knows, there are fits and starts, major milestones and minor setbacks, on the road to the future. Alan Keys said the only way to predict the future is to invent it, and invention requires a massive R&D budget.
Sure, thirty-eight years is a long time. No one could have predicted the iPhone back in the mid-70s, with apps that show a pop-up display using augmented reality or easy access to every song on Spotify. Yet, in predicting the future car, there is also a long history of things staying the same: the combustible engine, seat belts that work about the same way as they have for decades, four tires and a steering wheel. The future car of 2050 may still operate about the same way as it does today. To predict what might happen over the next three decades, Digital Trends asked well-known auto analysts, futurists, and other experts to offer their opinion on what the car in your garage might look like (and do) in 2050.

Completely autonomous driving

We already know that Google has tested autonomous vehicles in northern California. In a widely reported incident, one of the Toyota Priuses was actually in a fender bender, although Google claims the car was being driven by a human at the time. The idea makes perfect sense, though: The computer in a car can react faster and use more diagnostic data than a human ever could. When a deer jumps out on the road, a Lexus GX 460 can use powerful forward-facing sensors to track the object, scan to see if you are paying attention (based on the angle of your face and by tracking your eyes and mouth), alert you with a chime, and even brake automatically in a split second – much faster than a human could.
Thilo Koslowski, an automotive analyst at Gartner, says the next stepis for the car to not just drive autonomously, but to think autonomously. For example, when you go out on a date with your wife to sample some wine, the car will drop you off, park itself, and wait for you to signal that you are done. The car might track how long you were sampling the wine, and might even perform a quick analysis of your breathing and speech as you re-enter the vehicle to find out if you are inebriated.
Yet, because every road will be equipped with wireless communication sensors, and every other car will be communicating its exact GPS location, and LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) sensors on the vehicle will constantly the vehicle for obstructions, you can sit back and relax while the car drives. This concept was already demonstrated by GM with the EN-V concept car last year. Koslowski says the autonomous car will be so efficient and safe that insurance companies will have to invent new policies for them – covering only natural disasters that cause unforeseen damage, not collisions.

“The car will understand the driver’s cognitive and emotional load at all times and control what type of information and how much of it can be consumed by the driver at a given time,” he says.“Non-critical phone calls will be routed straight to voicemail when driving on the highway in heavy traffic — advanced human machine interface technologies. Cars will self-organize and optimize traffic flow with the result of minimized congestion, reduced pollution and improved productivity, and vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, as well as the use of smartphones that collect traffic information.”
Koslowski also says the autonomous car might end the concept of leasing and buying cars altogether. When there is a fleet of robotic cars in a city, there will be no need to own a personal car.
“Real-time, location-independent access to vehicles without traditional ownership of the vehicles will redefine personal transportation to a point where buying a car will be replaced with buying a mobility solution,” he says, explaining that location-based services will be prevent, especially at vacation spots. For example, when you visit Denver, you’ll be able to “order” a vehicle to take you to a resort, or when you go to New York an urban transport vehicle might show you the hotspots.

Really alternative fuels

In addition to cars driving on their own, which is already showing signs of becoming a reality, the future car will also run on just about anything: solar power, pneumatic energy, even something called an ultracapacitor, which is like a souped-up battery. Louis Rosas-Guyon, a technology consultant with R-Squared Computing, says the alternative fuels will be commonplace.In fact, he says the future car will be capable of running on multiple fuel sources.
Once again, we’re already seeing signs of this. Toyota has already produced a version of the Prius that uses electric power, gas, and solar panels on the roof. Granted, the photovoltaic panels only provide enough power to run the vents, but the concept is certainly possible. NASA has an ongoing research project trying to figure out how to beam energy down from solar collectors in space. There’s a notion that all cars could then collect energy from space as well, transmitted the same way.
“The trick will be in converting our existing infrastructure over to servicing these new power sources. All those gas stations, service stations and every other business that exists because of the internal combustion engine will need to adapt to service these new power sources,” says Rosas-Guyon.
One solution to the infrastructure problem is simply to make cars last much longer on a tank of gas. Mercedes-Benz has a concept vehicle dubbed the F125, which should wring more than 600 miles from one fill of hydrogen. It would use a lithium-sulphur battery and produce no emissions.
Some experts argue that there is a completely different power source that could be used for cars that has not been invented yet. For example, some think cars could be powered by a small nuclear plant using less volatile thorium instead of uranium. The car might last for decades on just one fill. When you need to re-fuel, instead of returning to a gas station (since they would all be closed down anyway) you would just go back to the dealer and receive a new supply of thorium.

Carbon-fiber shells

One of the most interesting developments in recent years has to do with the “indestructible” material that’s already used for fishing rods, coffee mugs, and sunglasses: carbon fiber. BMW has announced to not one but two concept cars, the i8 and the i3, that are both built from carbon-fiber materials. And they are serious about the production schedule: BMW has already built a carbon-fiber plant in Moses Lake, Washington that will be used to build a future production car for BMW.
With the Mercedes F125 concept, the entire vehicle is made from carbon fiber and reinforced steel. Gullwing doors like those used on the Mercedes SLS AMG are all part of one shell structure. The idea is that these future cars would be virtually indestructible. Combined with safety features that can scan the roadway looking for potential hazards, pre-collision technologies that make the vehicle swerve, airbags housed in every conceivable corner of the car, and autonomous controls, accidents may become a distant memory. In fact, insurance companies might have to think how they provide collision insurance if the vehicle is smart enough to avoid an accident and will barely show any damage if there is one.
None of the automakers we contacted were willing to discuss the actual research projects they are working on that could lead to the future cars. Most say they have plans in place only for the next decade or so, or at most the next 15 years. At the same time, there are some early signs that the future car won’t be such a radical departure from what we are driving today: no one is ready to say that cars will fly anytime soon. They will have much better AI, use alternative fuels, and avoid crashes.
Source from:http://www.digitaltrends.com

The Insurers SeeTechnology New Risks at Sea

Digital technology helps ships and their crews work more efficiently and safely every day, with new electronic tools installed everywhere from bridge to engine room and many points between. But as well-designed, useful digital solutions make their way into engine management, navigation, and other mission-critical functions, the advance of networked electronic devices may also come with some downsides.
Cyber threat awareness is rising in the maritime industry, with published alerts of external hazards like GPS jamming. Crew actions, intentional or otherwise, may also form a part of the cyber threat to shipboard systems. For example, crewmembers may unknowingly open email attachments containing malicious software while using a networked system – a primary vulnerability to any company's IT infrastructure, ashore or afloat – or, with intent and skill, they may be able to overwrite the record on some models of voyage data recorder (VDR).
Additionally, mobile devices may pose a distraction to watchstanders. In one well-known example, the K-Sea Transportation tug Caribbean Sea pushed its barge tow over top of a tour boat in Philadelphia in 2010, killing two and injuring many of the 35 aboard. The officer on watch pled guilty to criminal charges and was sentenced to one year; he admitted in court that he had been distracted by his phone and his laptop for some time before the collision occurred.
In addition to the known risk of cyber threats and watchstander distractions, a new memo issued Thursday warns that communications tools connecting seafarers with their families may pose an unforeseen hazard to shipboard operations.
“While many ships now offer technology such as satellite video calling to keep crews in touch with loved ones back home, care should be taken to ensure this does not make matters worse. For some seafarers, having easy access to friends, family and their ongoing domestic problems could lead to increased anxiety compared to the traditional clean break of departure,” said Tony Baker, loss prevention director at insurer North P&I.
Separately, North P&I has warned shipowners to be aware of potential criminal use of digital 3D scanners and printers. These are reportedly being used to clone and replace the security seals on shipping containers after break-ins. “The seals can be made within 10 minutes and include all the relevant identification marks, so thefts may remain undetected until containers reach their final destinations,” said North P&I deputy loss prevention director Colin Gillespie.
“The digital age has brought extraordinary benefits to the shipping industry and to crews, particularly in terms of improved safety, efficiency and communications. However, it is important for shipowners and seafarers not to let digital technology completely replace . . . a hands-on, common-sense approach to safety and security,” Gillespie concluded.
Source from:http://www.maritime-executive.com

Emerging Marketing Trends For 2016 New Report Predicts

In the global study, ZenithOptimedia looked at how new technologies are set to impact retail, media and entertainment and how brands are likely to leverage these innovations to create personalised consumer experiences as part of their communication strategies. Focusing on how changes in technology are set to change behaviour among Millennials, we assessed the new types of personalised experiences that brands might create along the consumer journey to better engage this audience. We have distilled these owned media-fuelled experiences to 10 key emerging trends.
 Video Explosion: Branded content on demand ZenithOptimedia expects online video to account for 12% of all digital ad spend in 2015. With some consumers abandoning traditional TV entirely, online video is going to emerge as a mainstream alternative to linear TV. More brands will become content creators, partnering with online celebrities to create video content tailored for specific audiences.
Proximity marketing: beacons light the way Proximity marketing has been around for a while, but is set to move to a new level with the introduction of beacon technology – a low-power radio transmitter that sends Bluetooth signals with real-time information to customers’ smartphones. Brands will increasingly use this technology to provide consumers with relevant offers and services and to create localised experiences.
Retails scents: the smell of success Pioneering brands are tapping into advances made in the use of scents and fragrances to change moods, enhance emotions and create experiences. Book publishers are starting to experiment with fragrances aligned to specific chapters and the Ophone enables you to send scented messages.
Social personalisation: beyond friend recommendations Friend recommendations on social media have been helping to drive brand choice for several years. However, we believe this phenomenon will move to a new level this year, giving rise to ‘social personalisation’. Supported by brands, people will be able to take greater control of the creation of personalised online consideration lists and in the identification of people that give them recommendations.
Custom-fit: technology drives personalisation Technology that enables people to customise their favourite products will move further into the mainstream this year. At CES 2015, we saw an array of affordable 3D printers that will hit the high streets. This is a real game changer, putting consumers in far more control of the way that they engage with brands and personalise products.
Photoshop: from image to purchase While attention is rightly focused on the growth of online video, technological innovations are turning online images and the ‘visual web’ into a powerful means of personalised shopping. Sales channels are starting to be built behind image sites, and brands will be investing in higher quality visuals to engage consumers through the likes of Pinterest.
Swipe right to shop: mobile interfaces cross genres Pioneered by dating apps such as Tinder, the interface that enables you to swipe right for like is becoming so commonplace and effective that it is being adopted by other online sectors, such as fashion retail. The simple ‘like’ functionality is being used to help people create personalised consideration lists.
Smart sensors: automation becomes reality Sensors are increasingly enabling us to connect with an ever larger number of devices around us, and this heightened connectivity is helping us to automate our lives. While much of the discussion in recent years has been of future potential, the affordable reality of sensor-enabled connectivity was clear for all to see at CES 2015. Connectivity and automation is set to enable brands to create online, concierge services for consumers, driving personalised engagement.
Brand Storytelling: technology changes the plot Brand storytelling is set to become far more immersive with the integration of different types of media, made possible by new interactive technologies. Consumers will benefit from seamless integration of content across devices. Brands will be able to tell better stories using carefully tailored content that works across multiple platforms.
Geotainment: socialise your surroundings Millennials are increasingly looking to engage with their environment and surroundings and geolocation technology is being adapted to facilitate this. Brands will discover new opportunities to use location-based messaging or create immersive location-based experiences.
Linda Tan, strategic insights director, said: “Brands that are increasingly focused on their ‘purpose’ are set to benefit from a range of emerging technologies that will enable them to create more authentic and valuable experiences for consumers. Creating personalised experiences across the consumer journey will become critical for brands seeking sustainable return on investment.”
Source from:http://www.bandt.com.au

The Year of the Car The most exciting tech of 2016 isn’t wearable.

Each year at the largest tech conference in the world, Nvidia hosts a press event to show off its latest chips and graphics processors. In past years at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it touted speedy new chips aimed at smartphones, tablets, and game systems. This year, however, its show revolved around what appears to be the next big mobile computing platform: the car.

Within a few years, CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said, “There will be more computing horsepower inside a car than anything you currently own today.” In a way, this makes sense. Cars are much bigger than tablets or smartphones, so they can accommodate far more powerful onboard computers. But wait: What will we do with all that power when we’re sitting behind the wheel? Surely we’re not going to be playing video games while weaving through traffic, right?

Actually, we just might. The stars of Nvidia’s show were a pair of computing platforms called Drive CX and Drive PX, both of which are built for cars—and could have us kicking back in our automobiles sooner than you think.

It wasn’t just Nvidia. This year’s CES was surprisingly dominated by automotive technology, from a self-driving Audi to a hydrogen-powered Toyota to more dashboard entertainment systems than anyone could count. CES, it seems, is becoming not just a tech show but an auto show—and the world’s car companies are eager to be seen as tech companies once again.
ut let’s go back to Nvidia for a moment, because it’s tech like theirs that will make the future of cars possible. Drive CX, the company explained, is a “digital cockpit computer” that will power an in-dash, Internet-connected touch screen, rearview video cameras, individual “infotainment” displays for each passenger, and more. This type of system was all over the place at the CES in 2015, with Qualcomm, Panasonic, Ford, and others showing off their latest “connected car” technology. It isn’t exactly revolutionary: Early versions of these systems already exist in many of today’s cars, including the Tesla Model S, whose in-dash touch-screen control center is in fact powered by Nvidia.

Judging from this year’s CES, they’ll soon be ubiquitous. The dashboard, it seems, is the new tablet.

But it’s the second system, Drive PX, that points to a wholesale transformation of the driving experience. Nvidia calls it an “auto-pilot car computer.” The system, with an impressive two teraflops of processing power, is optimized for computer vision—the ability for a computer to process images and video and make sense of it in much the same way that the human brain does. In particular, Nvidia says it’s designed to facilitate what techies call “deep learning,” a branch of artificial intelligence in which algorithms come to recognize patterns and form connections between concepts.

One famous experiment in deep learning had Google supercomputers teaching themselves to identify cats in YouTube videos. What Nvidia has in mind is not so different: It’s about cars learning to identify stoplights, lane markings, pedestrians, and obstacles in the road in real-time videos streaming in from an array of cameras attached to the cars. It is, in other words, a potentially major step on the road to self-driving vehicles.

Other steps on that road abounded at this year’s conference. Among the most interesting, if unheralded, was a new LIDAR system from a two-year-old Silicon Valley startup called Quanergy. The company’s CEO, Louay Eldada, told me its solid-state sensors can provide the data needed for a self-driving car far more cheaply than Google’s Velodyne-powered system. It already has deals with Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, and Renault–Nissan, a rarity for a startup so young. It’s a signal of just how fast the race to autonomous vehicles is beginning to unfold.

That doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll be ceding full control of our cars to computers anytime soon. As Lee Gomes argued recently in Slate, fully autonomous vehicles like Google’s still have a long way to go before they can safely navigate unfamiliar roads.

Yet Google’s audacious efforts have forced just about every major automaker to take notice, in one way or another. And they were out in force at CES this year, eager to prove that the autopilot revolution won’t leave them behind.

The boldest statements came from a pair of German automakers.

This Audi A7 drove itself to Las Vegas from Palo Alto ... for the most part.

Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Audi rolled into Las Vegas with an A7 that had driven itself there from Palo Alto, more than 500 miles away. The car wasn’t fully in charge at all times, notes Wired’s Alex Davies, who sat behind the wheel for part of the trip. Audi’s technology is designed to take over for long stretches of highway, leaving unpredictable local roads and unforeseen circumstances to human expertise. Audi calls it “piloted driving,” and it’s an advanced form of the adaptive cruise-control systems that automakers are already beginning to offer. The company believes the technology will be built into its new cars by 2020, if not before.

Further down the road is the radical vision presented by Mercedes. The 89-year-old luxury automaker arrived at CES with a new, wildly futuristic concept car that imagines what vehicles will look like when the computers take over entirely. The vehicle, awkwardly dubbed the F 015 Luxury in Motion, featured a loungelike interior in which four swivel seats can be turned toward each other while the vehicle pilots itself down the road.

The self-driving Mercedes F 015's interior.

Photo courtesy Daimler AG/Global Communications/Mercedes-Benz

So, one might ask while hopping into a Mercedes Z-Class in the year 2032: “Who’s up for a game of Final Fantasy XXIV?”

Toyota, meanwhile, countered Tesla’s push toward an electric-car infrastructure with its own ambitious vision for a “hydrogen-powered society.” The hydrogen fuel cell Toyota Mirai, already on sale in Japan and due out in the United States later this year, will require an extensive refueling network of its own. So, following Tesla’s lead, Toyota announced at CES 2015 that it’s opening up thousands of its fuel cell patents in hopes of jump-starting innovation in the sector.

Detroit’s big three also made their presence known at the conference, albeit with somewhat less inspiring wares.

Chrysler focused on its connected-car apps, which felt a little desultory given what its rivals were up to. But Ford had a keynote speech, with CEO Mark Fields outlining a relatively conservative road map to autonomous vehicles. The company won’t build a self-driving car anytime soon, he said, although he does believe it will happen someday. For now it’s focused on driver-assistance features like self-parking and adaptive cruise control. Fields also announced a “smart mobility plan” comprising 25 separate experiments around the world designed to address the transportation needs of the future. They include a car-sharing program for workers at the company’s Dearborn, Michigan, headquarters and an app that finds open parking spots in London.

General Motors, meanwhile, jumped the starting gun on next week’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit by rolling out its next-generation Chevy Volt at a CES press event on Sunday. It offered few details about the car, other than to point out that it is the top-selling plug-in hybrid on the market. Still, it was another signal that CES is becoming a major event on automakers’ annual schedules.

To me, that was among the most interesting takeaways from the weeklong convention, whose prestige has eroded in recent years as the biggest technology companies have shied away. In 2011, my former Slate colleague Farhad Manjoo called CES “the most useless week in tech,” bloated with vaporware and bogus trends. The vaporware and bogus trends have not gone away. But the absence of the Apples, Microsofts, and Googles from CES also leaves the stage open for surprising developments from unexpected corners of the tech world. This year, the auto industry seized the spotlight.
The automobile is, after all, one of modern society’s most important technologies. But the sector was so bereft of genuine innovation for so long that we no longer think of car companies as part of the technology business. The major automakers are finally being shaken from their stupor, thanks to a big push from auto industry upstarts and outsiders like Google, Tesla, and Uber, who have each jolted the industry in its own way. If CES 2015 is remembered for anything, it could be as the year the car companies woke up.

Source from:http://www.slate.com

The technology New makes drones safer, smarter

Geneva: Researchers have developed a new technology that enables drones to mimic human sense of balance to recover stable flight from any position and land autonomously in failure situations.

It will even be possible to launch drones by simply tossing them into the air like a baseball, researchers said.

Drones will be safer and smarter, with the ability to identify safe landing sites and land automatically when necessary, they said.
"Our new technology allows safe operation of drones beyond the operator's line of sight, which is crucial for commercial use of drones, such as parcel delivery," said Professor Davide Scaramuzza, co-inventor and Director of the Robotics and Perception Group at the University of Zurich.

The growing popularity of drones has raised major safety concerns. Because drones can run out of power, forcing them to land immediately, they must be able to detect safe landing spots and properly execute landing operations.
Furthermore, potential crash situations arise when drones temporarily lose their global positioning system (GPS) information, for instance, when flying close to buildings where GPS signal is lost.
In such situations, it is essential that drones can rely on back-up systems and regain stable flight.
The drones of the UZH research group are equipped with a single camera and acceleration sensors. Their orientation system emulates the human visual system and sense of balance.
As soon as a toss or a failure situation is detected, computer-vision software analyses the images to identify distinctive landmarks in the environment and restore balance.
All image processing and control runs on a smartphone processor onboard the drone. This renders the drone safe and able to fulfil its mission without any communication or interaction with the operator.
"Our system works similarly to a tight-rope walker. When you balance on a rope, you fixate on some static points in the environment and shift your weight accordingly to restore balance," said Matthias Faessler, co-inventor of the technology and researcher in Scaramuzza's group.
The same software builds a 3D model of the environment, which is used to group the terrain beneath the drone into "risky" and "safe" landing sites.
If an emergency landing is required due to low battery or system failure, the drone will automatically detect and land on a flat, safe location without any human intervention.
Source from:http://zeenews.india.com

The New Technology Helps Blind People Explore The World.

Chieko Asakawa has dedicated her career as a computer scientist to helping blind people like herself live life to the fullest. In the 1980s, she developed a widely used word processor for Braille and a digital library for Braille documents.
In the 1990s, she created a voice browser that enables blind people to access the Internet using text-to-speech translations. Now, working with scientists at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), the IBM Fellow is developing technologies aimed at helping the blind “see” and interact more fully with the world around them.
“I want technology to substitute for vision to help the blind manage in the real world,” says Chieko. “Blind people want to be independent, and I want to help achieve that goal.”
She wants to be able to recognize friends who are walking towards her and greet them by name when they come near. She wants to know peoples’ emotional states when she speaks to them. And she wants to be able to walk up on a stage to make a presentation without needing to hold someone’s elbow for guidance.
In essence, she and her CMU colleagues are combining Internet of Things sensors with smartphones and cognitive technologies to create digital guide dogs for the blind.
Their goal is to not only develop systems that harness the combined power of these technologies, but to create a platform of open source software that developers can use to add a new generation of accessibility capabilities for a wide range of situations and, environments — shopping malls, airports, hospitals, stadiums, offices, etc.
The technologies could also be used for fully sighted people — perhaps a Take Me Home app for elderly people who get lost or a semi-autonomous wheel chair for people who have difficulty walking. Here’s where they’ll share their tools to further explore ideas with researchers, developers and users.
Prof. Martial Hebert, director of The Robotics Institute at CMU, who is collaborating with Chieko, says the project is a natural extension of what he and his colleagues do every day.
“One of the most important uses for robots will be operating alongside people, helping people and living with people — and that will include guiding blind people,” he says.
Chieko was born with normal sight but a swimming accident when she was 11 years old left her completely blind by the time she was 14. She remembers the frustration she felt at having to ask her brothers to read to her, and she has been determined all of her life to invent tools that would help her and others like her live fuller lives.
Two years ago, Chieko saw the potential for advances in mobile computing, Internet of Things sensor networks and computer vision to usher in a new generation of accessibility aids for the blind. Looking for collaboration partners, she visited CMU’s Robotics Institute two years ago and was impressed by their ideas and projects — especially those addressing computer vision.
“They made me believe that my dream to see the real world again may come true,” she says. CMU’s Robotics Institute faculty members shared her enthusiasm and they began collaborating late last year. Now she’s working on the CMU campus in Pittsburgh as visiting faculty member.
The Robotics Institute is a living laboratory — with robots of different types and with different purposes roaming the hallways and inhabiting offices and classrooms. The initial focus for Chieko and her colleagues is to make CMU’s campus, and, in particular, its sprawling computer science building, accessible to the blind.
To lay the groundwork, they installed a network of Bluetooth Low Energy beacons on the campus. The BLE beacons send Bluetooth radio signals that provide mobile devices, including smartphones, with detailed digital maps of physical environments.
By combining the beacon networks with GPS technologies, video cameras in Smartphones, and computer image recognition software, the scientists develop applications that help blind people navigate indoors and outside. The applications map routes to their destinations, read signs, spot obstacles in their way and help them avoid colliding with other people or being struck by cars or bicycles.
One of the pilot apps, NavCog, tells blind people about the world around them by whispering into their ears through earbuds.
The open source toolkit the team is producing includes, for starters, a navigation app, a map editing tool, a tool to sample beacon signals, and localization.
There’s more to come.
Chieko wants to be able to connect blind people with rich sources of data about what’s going on in the the world around them. For instance, she imagines them being able to go shopping in a mall and tapping into information about what’s for sale in the stores they pass.
“In this way, a blind person would be able to go window shopping,” she says.
When Chieko was a child, before her accident, she frequently watched a TV cartoon show that featured a boy and his pet robotic bird, which would sit on his shoulder wherever he went. His mother would communicate with him telepathically through the bird, giving him advice and warning him of impending danger as he battled the forces of evil.
Chieko has long dreamed of creating the real-world equivalent of the bird to help blind people. Now her lifelong dream is coming true.
“My motto is, ‘making the impossible possible by never giving up,’” she says.
Chieko Asakawa, Ph.D., is an IBM Fellow. She  discussed her personal innovation journey — and her new project — at theTED@IBM Necessity & Invention event in San Francisco in October. To view the video, “How New Technology Helps Blind People Explore the World,” click here.
Source from:http://www.forbes.com