Technology has transformed the automotive industry making our vehicles safer, more efficient, more environmentally friendly, more feature rich and – why not? – funny. The innovations, from safety systems to propulsion, are first introduced by the manufacturers in the premium models, and then spread cascade throughout the range, innovating the way we move and travel. Let’s see some of them.
Without keys better Let’s start with something as simple as it is useful: by now many of us put our car keys in their pockets when leaving the house to take them out only when returning. Keyless systems have transformed them into remote controls that warn the car when we are near or inside, opening the locks as soon as you touch the handles or allowing us to start the engine by pressing a simple button. Priceless.
Up your head The head-up display was created to avoid distractions for the driver, and projects useful information such as the instantaneous speed or the limits along the road on the windscreen. Often customizable, of aeronautical derivation.
More screens for everyone Meanwhile, the screens are multiplying: more and more numerous (the top of the range also have three), they replace almost everything, from the odometer to the air conditioning controls, to make everything usable with a tap, as tablets have accustomed us to. just the beginning: as confirmed by the incredible Mbux Hyperscreeen cockpit just presented by Mercedes, the size of the displays will grow even more.
A smartphone on wheels In Italy alone, connected vehicles are already 16.7 million, or approximately 40% of the fleet in circulation (source: Polimi). The most popular devices are GPS / GPRS boxes for locating and recording driving parameters, but connectivity based on SIM or via Bluetooth systems is growing. The latter facilitate the integration of your phone with the vehicle thanks to Android Auto and Apple Car, which make our entire digital world accessible from the infotainment.
The connected car Connected car s, but for what? Soon to talk to each other and exchange information on the state of the roads and traffic. In the meantime, to make sensors for diagnostics, radar, cameras able to connect with infrastructures, roadside assistance or smartphone apps for remote management work at their best.
The ADAS are watching over us While we drive we are less and less alone: in fact, ADAS systems, electronic driver assistance systems, watch over us, which increase our skills by correcting errors and distractions. From adaptive cruise control, which adjusts preset cruising speed based on traffic, to the twilight sensor that turns on the lights; from the automatic emergency braking to the parking sensors, passing through the lane change warning or the automatic recognition of signals, the solutions present on new generation cars multiply.
Auto talk to me Ok Honda, Hello BMW, Hey Mercedes, but also OK Google or Alexa: today with our cars you can also talk to ask digital assistants to make or receive calls, get navigation directions, read and reply to text messages, play music and, in some cases, even starting the engine. Not just a matter of convenience: most car accidents today are caused by the use of cell phones. Autonomous, but not too much Cameras, radar, lidar. It increases the number of sensors to allow cars to see as much as possible along the road, in order to inform automated driving systems of increasing complexity, but which for the moment still need our hands on the wheel. Alessio Jacona REPRODUCTION RESERVE
March 23, 2021 (change March 23, 2021 | 17:18)
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