Cars have come a long way since the first automobile started plying the highways. Although the flying cars from “The Jetsons” and “Blade Runner” are still a faraway dream, so many new technologies have emerged that were unthinkable only a few decades ago.
Currently, the conversation is centered around self-driving, a technology that has been in development for years and is now being tested to be deployed on the road. There is also intent to stop selling cars that run on fuel and shift to electric in just a few decades.
Other consumer technologies are also now available to make driving easier for consumers. It will be best to go to shops for car parts and accessories like Seven Smart Auto and ask their expert technicians to install a dashcam, backseat monitors, blind-spot monitoring systems, Apple Carplay, Android Auto, or other gadgets that will make your car safer and more comfortable.
In the future, cars will become even better. There are now technologies being created to improve the driving experience further. Here are some other things to look forward to.
Inter-vehicle Connectivity
You might have heard about the Internet of Things (IoT), a system in which different technologies communicate and constantly exchange data to make users’ lives easier. It is more commonly used in households where appliances and other electronic devices have innovative capabilities nowadays.
Furthermore, cars have become smarter, but there is still potential to make the roads easier through connectivity. Aside from the capability to access data and services via the internet, future cars may also communicate with each other to reduce the risk of road accidents.
This is how it will work: the vehicle will wirelessly send signals to other cars that are also on the road, notifying them where it is headed and whether it has stopped or started moving again. The vehicle can also communicate with traffic lights and the roads, automatically slowing and stopping at the red light.
This will significantly reduce or potentially eliminate vehicular accidents in the future. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that the technology will prevent an estimated 615,000 motor-vehicular crashes and save 1,500 lives. If all vehicles on the road have sensors, driving will be a lot safer.
Virtual Sun Visor
Cars have sun visors, but they are not exactly efficient. While they successfully cover the bright rays of the sun, they also block the driver’s eyesight. The feature has been around for almost a hundred years but, soon, they will be getting a new and high-tech upgrade.
Bosch, at the 2020 CES, launched its Virtual Visor, a new technology that utilizes a transparent LCD screen to protect the eye from the sun. It is equipped with a small RGB camera that can track the sunlight shining on the driver’s face. It also uses artificial intelligence to recognize the facial features of the driver. The algorithm pinpoints where the eyes of the drivers and selectively block or unblock sections of the LCD.
The visor will remain transparent at all times, even when it is working to shield your eyes from the bright rays of the sun. Not only will it make driving during sunrise or sunset easier, but it will also prevent accidents because the driver’s eyes are always on the road.
Biometrics
Biometrics is already in use in many applications, most common of which is in smartphones and tablets. Soon, the same will be required to unlock your car.
Keys might become a thing of the past. Using biometrics, the driver can press a finger on a sensor to open and start their car. Better yet, your car can recognize you automatically adjust settings, temperature, and other features based on your habits and preferences.
Moreover, the key benefit of using biometrics is security. If a car does not recognize the driver, it might refuse to start. Biometrics can also make it more challenging to open locked car doors than current, less technologically advanced systems. Unlike keys, biometrics is much harder to replicate because everyone has unique fingerprints, irises, and facial features.
Later on, other sensors can be added to the vehicle to monitor heart rate, movement, and other metrics to alert first-responders or contacts in case of an emergency.
The future is exciting for car enthusiasts because numerous new technologies are currently being developed by multiple automobile manufacturers. In the next couple of years, some of these technologies might be introduced into the market and, rapidly, become the standard. Once that happens, the roads will be a much safer place for everyone.
