Connected cars will give us a driving experience that are nothing like we’ve ever known
The automotive industry is facing the biggest paradigm shift: All the suppliers, from the manufacturers to even the IT companies, are now aiming for the future vehicles. So far, cars were delicate means of transportation powered by internal combustion engines. From now on, however, cars will be more like high-tech electrical appliances.
Cars on the streets will all be having electric motors using hydrogen or batteries, and the the whole family will be able to sit face to face. No driver will have to worry about the parking spot, as those self-driving vehicles would find their own.
This scenario would have been a fairy tale if it were ten years ago. Now the world is more connected than ever, and everyone would enjoy the era of the future vehicles with hoity-toity artificial intelligence. Hyperconnectivity and worldwide connected cars will make our dreams come true.
Connected Cars and the Hyper-Connectivity
A connected car is a car that is equipped with internet access, and with a wireless local area network.
Experts from the future motor industry say that eco-friendly cars, self-driving cars, car-sharing services, and connected cars will be all around the world. Eco-friendly cars are spreading these days and a new set of regulations are set already.
Connected cars are another step toward self-driving vehicles. Connectivity technology is needed for the autonomous vehicles to be efficiently driven individually, not to mention the users should be able to share and exchange information wirelessly.
Hyundai unveiled its future mobility: The connected car
The connected car technology is not just for autonomous vehicles. We can envision our cars adjusting the temperature before we leave home. The Internet of Things(IoT) devices for smart homes consist of various technologies such as Home To Car are already near us. Connected cars will fill the bathtub with hot water for us while we are parking them, and search for parking spaces even before we get to the destination.
Hyundai showcased its future vehicle concept in 2017 as well. The connected car could be docked with the home or the office, creating a whole new lifestyle.
Changes in the cabin
Future connected vehicles comprising the electric powertrain and the autonomous driving system
Of course this is yet to come. Many auto makers are imagining the user experience in the future vehicles and expressing it using their concept cars. Some of them were bold and brilliant, and some were quite unrealistic. Yet all of them were created by a number of great designers and engineers. The biggest difference that they made was unlike conventional vehicles, the cabin was made very spacious as the driver’s seats will be no longer be needed in such future vehicles.
On the inside, there will be just a button-less dashboard
The main feature of the connected car is the huge screen, or windshield, displaying all the infos we need while we’re in it. And of course it will be controlled by voice-recognition systems.
Future vehicles will let you literally move your seat freely
Adjusting your seat will not be a problem at all. Hyundai Transys is currently developing Connected Seat that can control its hardness and temperature, adapting to different road conditions or weather.
Future vehicles will have artificial-intelligence-driven voice-recognition system
Hyundai’s ‘Style Set Free’ unveiled at the CES 2019 enables passengers to adjust the interior of the vehicles based on their taste. This concept will create connected cars that can adapt to user preferences each time, letting us share all our cars even without making them all look alike.
Self-driving cars will be autonomous, connected, and shared
Future vehicles will be more ‘shared’ than ever. Younger generations are used to the term ‘the shared economy’, so the connected car technology is being developed for the car-sharing services. A digital key enabling convenient car-sharing on Hyundai Sonata is a good example. A single digital key can store data for each driver’s settings from the seat position to the infotainment system.
Connected Cars Detecting the Passengers’ mood
Connected car technology is not just for autonomous vehicles. Thanks to the deep learning, a car can turn raw complex data into actionable information for the driver status analysis.
Sooner or later the cars are going to detect the mood of the passengers
A method for detecting sleepiness in drivers is also developed by using a camera. This technology is to watch the face region and eyes in order to see if the driver is tired. The system proposes a method for estimating the degree of a driver's drowsiness on the basis of changes in facial expressions. Typically, drowsiness is accompanied by drooping eyelids. Therefore, most related studies have focused on tracking eyelid movement by monitoring facial feature points. It will activate the autonomous driving mode to take the driver to the nearest hospital for help.
Hyundai Motor Group has a track record for future technology partnerships in China: It invested in Deep GLINT, a promising Chinese AI startup, for developing HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) for a better ‘mood and atmosphere’. Meanwhile, Kia's R.E.A.D. system is unveiled at the CES 2019 which uses AI to recognize drivers' and riders' physiological emotions based on facial expressions, electrodermal activity, and heart rate, and then responding in a hopefully helpful way.
