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      Ford and General Motors are looking for developers

      CarTrade Editorial Team

      CarTrade Editorial Team

      At the Bangalore engineering centre of world's largest auto component supplier, engineers are working on special software which will play a vital role in the automobile industry. A code has been developed by Bosch, with which applications can now be created by developers for driving assistance. Inspired by the success of Google and Apple, the engineers are now working on this new software.

      For third party developers, innovation platforms are started by cagey automakers. An app ecosystem is now created by car makers like Ford and General Motors to provide better computing power in the car. Due to the apps, drivers remain better informed about the lift-in car entertainment. They can drive and navigate in a much better way.

       

      Ford and General Motors are looking for developers
      Ford and General Motors are looking for developers
       

      The quantity of semi conductor included in a modern vehicle helps in creation of this ecosystem. Several applications can be built with 150-200 chips in a car for monitoring weather, improving mileage and providing driving assistance..

      Busmaster, the software of Bosch can be plugged into the CAN bus of the automobile and from the electronic control units, messages can be received. Data is transferred in the electronic control units by CAN bus. Functions of power windows and wiper blades are controlled by electronic units. The only thing the developer has to do is downloaded the software from the internet and connect to the on-board diagnostic port of the automobile..

      Using Google's Android operating system, an app called the Eco Buddy has been designed by an engineer at Bosch, Rajesh Puttaswamy. Retrieving the data from the CAN bus, the apps analyses the driving performance of the driver.

      Sri Krishnan V, Vice President, engineering unit, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions, said, "This is a sign of things to come," says Sri Krishnan V, vice-president, engineering unit, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions. He added, "The business model in auto industry is evolving rapidly. Everybody wants to emulate what is happening in consumer electronics. The Apple ecosystem is a classic example."

      Ford, the second largest automaker of America recently re-defined cars as computing platforms on wheels and encouraged developers for their in-car connectivity system.

      OpenXC project of the company led by K Venkatesh Prasad, group and senior technical leader, will be taken to the universities across the country. The main reason is to motivate students to design apps for Ford models staring with Figo.

      OnStar telematics system developed by General Motors, one of the world's largest automakers, will be soon opened for application developers. It is possible to integrate the system with consumer devices and smart phones. As per announcement of the company, developers will get access to the OnStar application programming interface (API). These developers can make mobile application function on the proprietary system of the company.

      P Balendran, vice-president at General Motors India, said, "Closed innovation model for technology development can be more restrictive and more expensive in the long run. So, the choice is clear." He added, "Conventional closed innovation models can no longer keep pace and may adversely impact competitiveness of core businesses."

      Ford