Autumn 2013
'Voice is the key
to connectivity'
Voice Control is by far the safest way
of operating various connectivity
and entertainment systems in
modern cars, according to Dr Pim
van der Jagt, who also said audible
output was Ford's preferred way of
presenting connectivity information to
drivers.
He detailed current and coming
advances in car-to-car and carto-infrastructure communication,
which offer benefits in safety, traffic
management and fuel economy.
He told how Ford has developed, in
association with Microsoft, its SYNC
platform for connectivity which can be
constantly updated during the life of a
car to take account of the fast pace of
electronics development.
Ford has, he said, provided more
than 2,500 open software interface
and developer kits which allow thirdparty development of apps for the
AppLink feature of SYNC debuted in
the US and being rolled out in Europe.
The apps are made available to SYNC
subscribers after rigorous checking
by Ford that they can be used in
a safe way, with minimal display
information and always controlled by
voice. Certain types of apps, such
as games, aren't allowed into the
system.
Some 65 Apps are already available
to US customers through SYNC,
which has an installed user base
of 6m worldwide. They include the
Spotify music streaming service and a
news service from USA Today which
is delivered audibly. One of them is a
First Date app which provides to the
owner tips on restaurants, movies,
and florists in the area so they can
make the best impression with a new
date.
Similar apps tailored to European
needs will first appear in the
upcoming EcoSport small SUV and
the Fiesta by the end of this year.
Owen Cullen of Cullen Communications,
and Ciaran Mc Mahon, Ford Ireland.
Pim van der Jagt, Head of Research and Development at Ford of Europe; Dr Natasha Merat,
Associate Professor at the University of Leeds Institute for Transport Studies; Gerry Murphy,
Chairman IMWA; and Tom Dennigan, Continental Tyres Ireland.
Is technology
driving us to
distraction?
Putting both sides of the technology and driver distraction issue
in the one place was the purpose of a Forum organised by the
Irish Motoring Writers Association in association with Continental
Ireland.
It's a subject currently exercising the minds of not just those
producing the technologies of connectivity and infotainment in
vehicles, but also the experts in analysing how drivers react psychologically in different scenarios.
The speakers at the Forum, held in Dublin's RDS, were Dr Pim van
der Jagt, MD of Ford's major research centre in Aachen, Germany,
and Dr Natasha Merat, Associate Professor at the Institute for
Transport Studies at the University of Leeds and leader of the
Safety and Technology Group there. Both are world-respected
experts on their respective sides of the issue.
It was a complex presentation, so we have broken it down into a
number of stories on different aspects of the theme.
The IMWA membership represents the majority of professional
motoring writers in the Republic of Ireland. It is also the organiser
of the Continental Irish Car of the Year Awards.
Brian Byrne.
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