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| Building the High-Tech Car |
September 13, 2003 |
By Grace Casselman
Cars are quickly becoming showcases for the latest in information technology. In-car cellphone communications and backseat DVD screens are now rather banal as in-car global positioning systems ( GPS), navigational aids and high-speed Internet connections enter the scene.
And yet, the drive for convenience continues to hit roadblocks from those concerned about safety. Don Szarko, manager of traffic safety initiatives for the Alberta Motor Association (AMA) in Edmonton, said great inroads into improving vehicle and road safety have been made, yet driver error is a “major contributing factor” in 85 per cent of accidents in the province. “The phenomenal number of safety elements is tempting drivers to do things other than riving.
The whole culture of driving is shifting. If there’s a choice of safety or convenience, drivers will choose convenience.”
Szarko isn’t intrinsically opposed to telematics and other technology in cars. For instance, the ability to call 911 in an emergency saves lives, he said. Other key improvements include active cruise control, which maintains a safe driving distance from the vehicle ahead, as well as features like collapsible steering wheels and airbags.
The problem, Szarko said, lies with drivers’ propensity to use the technology for convenience rather than mere safety.
“People tend to push the envelope.”
HANDS ON THE WHEEL
Bell Mobility has recently expanded its wireless locationbased service from Ontario and Quebec to major cities in Alberta and B.C. With a “Find Me” option, the system can pinpoint a cellphone’s location and provide directions to nearby restaurants, gas stations, hospitals or banks.
In downtown Calgary this will work to within half a kilometre, said Adrian Vella, associate director of product development for Bell Mobility based in Mississauga, Ont. Vella said future enhancements could include traffic information and the capacity for parents to locate their children.
“It’s an extension of our ongoing strategy with mobility,” said Paul Healey, president of Bell Mobility Western Region. He said it’s about consumers becoming more productive and using their phones as a “time filler.” But he stresses that “safe driving is the first priority.”
Certain jurisdictions, including Newfoundland and New York state, have already passed laws banning the use of cellphone handsets while driving. The Alberta Motor Association isn’t actively advocating such a law with its provincial government “at this time.” Nonetheless, the AMA’s corporate policy is to “safely stop and talk” when using cellphones in cars.
A 2000 Harvard study, funded by AT&T Wireless, found that “cellular phone use while driving does pose a risk to the driver, to other motorists, and to pedestrians. It is unclear whether “hands-free” phones are safer than handheld phones.”
And Ford recently announced the results of its Virttex driver simulation lab test involving 48 adults and 15 teenagers, designed to quantify the effects or distraction caused by hands-free and hand-held phones. Among the “clear findings” of the study, “hand-held voicemail retrieval and hand-held phone dialing presented significant levels of distraction to the adult drivers.”
“I don’t know anyone who would care if they actually banned phones while driving,” said Doug MacDonald, a CN employee who lives in Montreal and deals with a major chemical company that has a stringent no-cellphone-while-driving policy.
People from that organization are required to hang up on calls if it seems the caller is talking while driving.
“My personal opinion is that they should (ban phones while driving), but hands-free is a good compromise.”
INTEGRATING TELEMATICS
The Porsche Communications Management navigation system includes a driver-facing screen and GPS unit, but integrating DVD is “not likely,” said Jay Allison, general manager of public relations for Porsche Cars North America in Atlanta, Ga. He said the car manufacturer is concerned about anything that would “take drivers away from focusing on the task at hand.”
And Microsoft is making a serious play for the car applications market with the Windows Automotive OS already showing up primarily in screen-based navigation systems in North American cars including some models by Volvo, Honda and BMW. But the underlying technology could control anything from a black box to a full-fledged entertainment system (in after-market products such as the Clarion Joyride), said Peter Wengert, marketing manager for Microsoft’s automotive business unit in Redmond, Wa.
In Asia, Toyota has introduced the Will-Cypha using Microsoft technology that allows drivers to watch DVD movies and sing karaoke, but only when the parking brake is engaged.
“We’re very concerned about safety,” Wengert said, noting there’s an effort to make many of the technologies voice-controlled.
For instance, with Bluetooth support, the car’s system could dial or receive calls from a cellphone stashed in a briefcase in the backseat.
It could also relay data from sensors on the airbags or brakes to a driver, or connect with a home network to turn off lawn sprinklers or control a security system.
Wengert said an increasing amount of Microsoft technology will emerge in future vehicles, but added, “we have to work with what’s traditionally a conservative automotive industry.”
IBM is also hard at work on telematics, including underlying voice technology supporting a navigation system available for the Honda Accord. “We don’t want to motivate the driver to take his hands off the wheel or his eyes off the road,” said Jim Ruthven, IBM’s program director for global telematics solutions in Detroit, Mich.
IBM has actually demonstrated the voice technology in combination with a video camera to virtually read lips and enhance speech recognition. This is important because “a car is a noisy place.”
Such technology would also allow for e-mail to be dictated and read aloud, he said.
In England, IBM is working with insurance firm Norwich Union and telecom company Orange UK to provide hardware and software for a “Pay as you drive” insurance program that uses GPS and calculates premiums based on when, where and how often the car is used. In New York, IBM is working with American Transit Insurance Co. (which insures 80 per cent of NYC cabs and limos) to build black boxes for the cars that would deliver information about accidents.
And now IBM is also working with International Truck and Engine Corp. to put a wireless communication system in commercial vehicles in North America next year to provide remote monitoring and diagnostics to reduce unscheduled downtime.
ONSTAR: TWO MILLION AND COUNTING
With a reported two million subscribers in North America, General Motors’ OnStar system is quickly picking up speed, now offered in more than 50 different cars and trucks from 12 manufacturers, including Lexus and Volkswagen.
OnStar’s three-button system (usually on the dash or the mirror) is very safety conscious, with an “eyes on the road, hands on the vehicle” stance, said Robert Herta, manager of communications in Troy, Mich.
“The driver can be focused on driving.”
OnStar provides a variety of features in different price sets, starting at US$16.95 per month. These can include emergency services, stolen vehicle tracking, remote diagnostics, remote door unlock, remote lights and horn, voice-activated phone services and concierge/information services.
Herta said e-mail can also be read aloud by the system. “That’s a nice thing, but we’re really focused on the safety and security components.”
And Herta does have stories to tell about OnStar’s safety record. He said the leader of a troupe of Boy Scouts, lost in the Rockies, called OnStar to have it flash the lights and beep the horn to help them find their way back to the vehicle.
He also talks about the time the system detected that the airbags in a vehicle had deployed. OnStar dispatched emergency vehicles and, with the GPS, was able to determine that the car had left the road and landed on railroad tracks. They were able to stop the oncoming train and beep the horn and flash the lights to assist the rescue workers looking for the car.
Herta said OnStar tracks 400 stolen vehicles, unlocks 25,000 doors (including a case where the doors were locked by a monkey in the car) and responds to 224,000 support calls per month.
Along with a navigation system on the 2003 Lincoln Aviator, Ford has demonstrated technology to allow the driver to turn off a home sprinkler system (or communicate with any networked system in the home), check flight information and review a calendar. And Bluetooth technology gives drivers hands-free access to PDAs and cellphones.
Meanwhile, 3com, along with Fiat Auto in Madrid, has demonstrated a concept Lancia Phedra car that taps into Wi-Fi “hot spots” at service stations or car parks, for instance. Nestor Carralero, marketing manager for 3Com Iberia in Madrid, said there are two target markets—professionals with a mobile office and travelling families looking to download movies and games at hotspots.
He expects Lancia will introduce the service in September or October.
Meanwhile, he said 3Com has had discussions with other manufacturers, including Chrysler and Citroen.
Carralero said there would be some demand for professionals to work in the backseat while mobile (switching to General Packet Radio Service when not in a hotspot), but he doesn’t envision any safety issues. “I don’t think anyone would be driving and working online.”
WEB DRIVING
3com http://www.3com.com
Alberta Motor Assoc. http://www.ama.ab.ca
AT&T Wireless http://www.attws.com
Bell Mobility http://www.bell.ca
Fiat Auto http://www.fiat.co.uk
Ford http://www.ford.com
IBM http://www.ibm.com
Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com/automotive
OnStar http://www.onstar.com
Porsche http://www.porschedriving.com
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