Award-winning American scientist Alan Kay, a modern-day great, once said, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” Technology is one such tool that has the capability of turning this quote into fact. Over the years, many inventions have taken place that have helped in changing the course of humanity, such as computer and Internet. If one comes to think of it then the automobile industry, car segment in particular, has made tremendous progress. About a century back, there were only few companies, which produced cars for the elite and owning one was considered to be a luxury.
Cut to the modern day scenario and the customer base for cars is huge, right across the globe. The progress in car technology has been proportionate to increase in demand as firms continuously work on ambitious projects that are aimed at defining the future of the car industry. Ancillary firms, which deal in specifics, have also grown at a tremendous pace and are collaborating with big names to create actual marvels. Some experts feel that what is shown in actions movies, minus the nonsensical antics, could be the way of the future. And, in actuality, there are organisations working towards designing technologies that would benefit humanity in the long run by making car driving much safer.
One such example is Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions (RBEI), a company where a team of engineers is working on a technology that enables controlling the speed of a car using a remote. According to Bangalore Mirror, this concept will work by sending of a text message through a smartphone, something that is quite impressive. Not only this, the technology would aim at providing the driver with the ability to be completely circumspect and see if there is any sort of unfavourable obstacle on roads that are poorly-lit. It is being said that the group of professionals at RBEI have a strong belief that technological advancement is the way forward for the global automobile industry. The concept of self-driven robotic cars is something that seems a little far-fetched at the moment. However, it is only matter of around ten years before there are completely automated cars on the road.
Recently, an event was held, wherein RBEI unveiled automotive trends for 2014. Vijay Ratnaparkhe, President and Managing Director at RBEI, spoke the firm's vision and plans for the future. "We are talking of fully automatic vehicles that can sense their surroundings with technology such as radar, GPS and 360-degree computer vision. I may be able to only look at the road ahead, but the car will be able to 'see' what's behind and on the sides. Don't be surprised if you have a mobile app that can steer the vehicle and park it or control the windshield wipers. We have experimented with buses in Bangalore, and our own buses, where on-board diagnostics collect data and relay it back to the driver to increase efficiency of the vehicle," he was quoted as saying.
Extensive research is being done to devise a system that alerts the driver in case of low mileage or even the slightest deflation of the rear tyre. This technology is going to be based on statistical algorithms, which will consistently monitor signals to make the driver better equipped. Also, RBEI is working hard to ensure that this function is simple, effective and caters to needs of the driver. RK Shenoy, Senior Vice-President at RBEI, spoke about making use of a smartphone in the servicing of a car. "We are working on a solution which, when the car enters the service station, will point out on a smartphone the parts that need changing. That is diagnosis. The prognosis will be able to detect things that can go wrong judging by the wear and tear of the parts," he said.
