The Age Of The Connected Car: How The Telecom Industry Is Transforming How We Drive

In his 1964 The New York Times essay, science fiction author Isaac Asimov predicted how the automobile industry would look fifty years later.

“Much effort will be put into the designing of vehicles with ‘robot-brains’—vehicles that can be set for particular destinations and that will then proceed there without interference by the slow reflexes of a human driver.”

While it seemed nearly impossible during his time, it is not an exaggeration to say that the automobile industry is inching towards Asimov’s dream.

At the heart of this automobile transformation lies the power of telecommunication. In recent years, the automobile industry has joined forces with the telecommunications industry to create a phenomenal automobile future. 

Evolution of Automobile Communication

The use of telecommunication in automobiles can be traced back to the late 1960s when the engineers of General Motors began working on Driver Aid, Information and Routing Systems. This pioneering effort eventually paved the way for today’s GPS in automobiles.

Today, telecommunication technologies like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Vehicle to Everything (V2X) are spearheading the next generation of automobiles and are accelerating vehicle connectivity architecture.

The merging of the automobile industry and the telecommunications industry is resulting in faster, safer and more efficient mobility systems.

Key Drivers of Automobile Communication

Telecommunications has aided in the creation of sophisticated functionalities that are essential for smart automobiles. In essence, automobile communication’s goal is to make the driver’s life easy and eventually aspire to a driverless world.

Here is a quick overview of the trending telecommunication technologies that are fuelling the future of the automobile industry.

In-Car GPS

Traditionally, GPS was mainly used in automobiles to help us reach our destination when one was not familiar with the routes. Today, however, its functionality has expanded and includes features such as:

• Identifying the best travel routes 
• Providing details of landmarks like restaurants, banks etc
• Real-time traffic conditions
• Record of driving activity
• Recovery of missing/stolen car

Self-Parking Cars

Self-parking cars are seen as the next big thing in the automobile industry. These cars use telecommunication architecture to not only find available parking spots but also park themselves by assessing their environment with advanced sensors.

Augmented Reality Windshield

Telecommunication is also making strides to build next-generation services such as AR windshields. Here, the driver is provided with information on navigation, car speed and safety distances.

This technology-in-the-making promises to ensure and even improve automobile safety by providing essential information well within the driver’s field of vision.

Driverless Automobiles

Self-driving cars are seen as the ultimate merging of the telecommunications and automobile industry. With the advent of 5G telecommunications, the development of autonomous vehicles is gaining momentum. The automobile industry is moving towards a mobility infrastructure where vehicles can communicate with each other, understand complex traffic conditions and reduce the need for human intervention. 

At every level of automobile autonomy, the role of telecommunications is vital. Technologies like radar, lidar sensors, cloud and edge computing play a crucial role in creating efficient autonomous systems.

Dynamic Speed Adaptation

Automobiles are now incorporated with systems that can monitor local speed limits and alert drivers if they exceed the limit. Also known as intelligent speed adaptation, these function in the following ways:

• Passive systems - These alert drivers when they exceed the speed limit
• Active systems - These control the maximum speed of the vehicle depending on the local limit

These systems use advanced telecommunication technologies such as position-based systems and radio beacons to determine the optimum speed of the vehicle.

Drowsiness Detection Systems

Automobiles are also in-built with multi-sensors that help identify driver fatigue. These sensors keep track of the driver’s facial features, mobile sensors and in-built vehicle sensors to identify drowsiness. 

Telematics To Monitor Driver Safety

In recent times, automobile manufacturers offer telematic systems that help external stakeholders monitor driver activity. These are useful for new drivers where family members or friends receive real-time alerts about driver safety. Telematics can provide information on the following:

• Location
• Vehicle speed
• Trip distance
• Harsh braking incidents
• Aggressive acceleration.

Weather And Pedestrian Prediction Systems

Telecommunication in automobiles also comes in handy when drivers need real-time information about weather conditions. For example, rain detectors set vipers in motion, while fog detectors help activate fog lamps. Further, many automobiles are equipped with night vision cameras and auditory sensors that help drive safely at night or during low visibility. 

Risks Involved In Automobile Communications

Telecommunication systems are being developed rapidly to take the automobile industry to the next level. But there are a few downsides to these ever-evolving improvements.

• Instances of hacking: With the rise of the connected car, a large amount of vulnerable personal information is available. If this sensitive information falls into the wrong hands, there is a high chance of intellectual and physical theft. 
• Malfunctioning: As we become habituated to automated systems, our decision-making dependency on the vehicle increases. However, there may be instances where the system malfunctions leading to grievous situations. 

Thus, caution must be taken while adopting these new technologies as potential risks are involved. 

This is the age of the connected car with automotive communication transforming how we drive. The automobile industry and telecommunication industry are working hand-in-hand to seamlessly integrate data and provide real-time information. This ultimately benefits the customer who enjoys safer, efficient and stress-free mobility systems.

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