OPTIMIZED SYSTEMS

Smart Cars Drive Savings, Safety and Environmental Benefits

Alison Diana | Date: 05-26-11 | Comments

Detroit and Japan are rolling out autos equipped with even more embedded computers.

When used by drivers, technologies like smartphones, music players and streaming video viewers can be distractions that impair safety. But when computers are embedded into cars, the automobiles themselves become more intelligent, using their built-in technology to avoid accidents, protect the environment, and keep cars running at maximum safety and efficiency.

Telematics, or the integrated use of telecommunications and informatics, is primarily used in smartphones, but adoption is expanding into cars. In fact, the sale of automotive micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)�teeny machines that automatically sense, and then respond to, temperature, pressure, speed and other physical properties�reached a record high last year, according to IHS iSuppli.

"High-end cars today have 150 sensors or more, and probably a third of those are MEMS," Richard Dixon, senior analyst for MEMS and sensors at IHS iSuppli, told Telematics Update. "A lot of this is being driven by safety mandates and emission controls getting tighter and tighter."

The Chevrolet Volt uses embedded computers, powered by IBM, to control its features and capabilities.

By incorporating technologies such as lane departure warnings, blind spot detection and collision avoidance systems, intelligent transportation systems (ITS) can reduce by 31 percent the number of people who die on U.S. roads each year, according to Scott Belcher, CEO and president of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America. That would total almost 12,000 lives per year saved in the United States alone, the organization said.

"We put a man on the moon over 40 years ago. It's time we make a stronger commitment to deploying these innovative technology solutions on our nation's roads, transit systems and across our multimodal transportation network," he said.

While most drivers are familiar with GPS systems and cruise control, next-generation vehicles may combine the two capabilities to reduce the chance of over- or under-steering, adjusting to speed limits, and coping with road gradients, pundits predict. The first cars equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are expected to hit the streets in 2013, Telematics Update said.

Of course, car makers are not neglecting social media. An increasing number of auto companies and independent developers are offering ways for drivers and navigators to share their locations via Twitter and Facebook. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, Ford unveiled Sync AppLink, which allows developers to provide voice controls for their mobile applications. Initially available only for Android and BlackBerry devices, Ford plans to deliver a version for Apple and other smartphones in 2012.

Not to be outdone, General Motors debuted remote controls for its Chevrolet Volt. Using their smartphones, Volt owners can control several settings, such as starting the car and unlocking its doors. Mercedes-Benz is offering a similar feature for its cars.

"The explosion of mobile applications just proves that customers want applications to accompany them in their everyday lives," Venkatesh Prasad, group and technical leader of vehicle design and infotainment for Ford, told Telematics Update. "There is obviously a natural progression of application development from the mobile device to the car."