US accident data is surprisingly hard to come by, but this report from US-DOT shows a rather sharp decline in fatal accidents, while also noting a solid decline in injury rates over the past couple of decades. I'm not quite sure we can extrapolate # of accidents from this data since it appears most rates are calculated off of vehicle miles traveled (VMT), nor can we assume the drop is related to any of these tools, but there does *appear* to be some correlation.
I ask you this: are you a fan of computerizing our cars, especially in light of the recent Toyota "issues", some of which were related to software glitches?
I'm a huge fan of HUDs in cars, making info easier to access. They just have to do it smart.
ReplyDeleteI have zero concern about car safety, insofar as electronics are concerned.
Actually, I feel that car technology always lags several years behind where it could really be. For instance, navigation devices and the like could be WAY more functional and integrated than they currently are... for instance, things like real-time traffic updates just recently made their way into nav units. Or how about this - why not better integrate smartphones into the car, then you could look up traffic on your iPhone app and stream it straight to your nav HUD?
Now we're talking.
Yes, I just said "for instance" in back-to-back sentences. I rock at English.
ReplyDeleteTechnically, it was the same sentence...
ReplyDeleteI agree - I think computers should find their ways into cars as I believe history's shown that they're more reliable than humans.
Follow-up question: would you be OK with cars that required no human input (e.g. Minority Report)?
I have no moral opposition to it, if that's what you're asking. If it was as reliable as say, taking a train or something, then why not. Until it's bullet proof no one will take it seriously though.
ReplyDeleteThere is an automatic parallel parking feature in Lexus cars right now. I'm not sure I would ever use that - my parallel parking is fine, and I straight up trust myself more than the car right now. But maybe if I used it a bunch and was 100% comfortable with it, my opinion would change.
Yup - I had linked to the auto-parking feature in my original draft for this post (a Prius version), but it got edited out.
ReplyDeleteIn a very timely piece, CNet had this post from a SXSW meeting with Ford. A good read purely for the points surrounding why the auto industry is so far behind with in-car computing.
That is a very timely and extremely interesting article, nice find.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting corollary to all this technology is the power it uses. As cars become more dependent on electric power or even entirely electric power usage looms as a hurdle. A car's interface and its fuel would be competing directly for the same energy.
Maximizing the efficiency of those systems and finding smart ways to integrate (or separate, as the case may be) the two functions will be an important innovation for the industry.
Right on cue, here is exactly what I'm talking about - an integrated iPhone solution from Smart that uses your iPhone as an extremely functional head unit. As Brian Cooley points out in the video, Smart doesn't have a screen in its cars, so your iPhone acts as the replacement. They are creating software to create a solution instead of hardware.
ReplyDeleteAlso in the video is a solution from Mini which is interesting, but not as elegant as Smart's in my opinion. Both are a move in the right direction.
Interesting - I think I prefer mini's offering simply because it would interface with many Apps on my phone, as opposed to just the Smart App. Either way, both seem to be very intuitive and definitely a "move in the right direction".
ReplyDeleteEssentially, I see the things that Mini/Smart have done as an extension of the Mobile App boom. What the iPhone did was show content providers (and consumers since I don't think we knew) that there is a growing desire to have 24/7 access to computer-like programs. Looking at our day-to-day interactions with gadgets, you'd notice that mobile phones and cars are among the two gadgets we have with us the most (TV's are also in the mix).
ReplyDeleteGradually - as wireless technologies improve - we're beginning to realize many of the wonders the internet can bring. I ask you this: is the recent app boom going to bust?
A very interesting question. Will it ever bust so much as it will simply slow down and become more consolidated, much the way the internet has had many of its critical functions (email, shopping, payment services, voice chat) consolidated by large companies?
ReplyDeleteI'd argue no bust, but I couldn't tell you at this point where all the crazy growth is going to trail off.
Is now a good time to admit that I don't have a smart phone? I accept any punishment you deem necessary.
ReplyDeleteI believe you've already mentioned this before...just hurry up and get one. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.
ReplyDeleteNot entirely related, but I couldn't not post this.
ReplyDelete