Some day soon your car could be speaking to you with a synthetic robot voice telling you: ”You’ve forgotton to lock up!”
Or you could even ask it a question: ”Good morning, how do I switch on the lights?” A voice will respond: ”Turn the knob on the left”.
Driving a car in 2010 will be a lot safer and more comfortable than today. The vehicle will be fitted with a host of ultrasound, infrared, radar and video and other electronic systems.
Sensors will monitor road markings and other cars, warning the driver well before he encounters dangerous situations.
A fully automatic parking assistant takes over the cumbersome task of manoeuvring the vehicle back and forth.
Some of these technical innovations were presented at the International Fair of the Automechanika in Frankfurt earlier this month.
Volkswagen has designed the language recognition system which responds to questions from the driver, with a video screen in the dashboard providing additional information. It is a combination of language recognition, telecommunications and internet technology.
A ”lane departure warning system” designed by the French manufacturer Valeo constantly monitors the road markings, warning the driver before he leaves the road.
A windscreen wiper designed by the same firm changes colour to blue once the exterior temperature falls below three degrees Celsius, warning the driver of slippery road conditions. The interior lighting is adapted automatically to prevent blinding light from outside.
Matthias Rabe, who heads the research department at Volkswagen, says these driver-assistant systems will revolutionise car safety systems in the next five to 10 years.
Automatic distance control systems are already installed in the new Audi A8, BMW-7 and Mercedes S Class. The radar scans an area metres ahead of the car and automatically reduces the car’s speed if it gets too close to a vehicle ahead.
The car parts supplier Bosch is working on a system that takes over from the driver in stop-and-go traffic.
Car part supplier firms are expected to benefit mainly from the trend. About 4 500 exhibitors from all over the world were present at the Frankfurt fair, a 4% increase from last year. An expert on developments in the car industry, Ferdinand Dudenhoefer, says the driver-assistant market alone is worth billions of euros. – Sapa-DPA