Technological advancements can be seen in the automobile industry at a rapid pace. Vehicles are something of a second home – they carry drivers to work, school and social events, transport families on errands, and cover countless miles of road to assist with day-to-day needs. As other must-have possessions like televisions and cell phones have evolved by leaps and bounds, the automotive industry has clearly heeded the call to follow suit, modifying their offerings in new and exciting ways. Here are 5 of the most interesting new advancements in cars, trucks and other vehicles rolling off automotive industry assembly lines today or in the near future.
Automobile Industry Advancements
Autonomy
Google gets a lot of attention for their self-driving cars, but the technology they’re working on – completely autonomous vehicles – sometimes eclipses the semi-autonomous advances that are already on the market. Whether it’s pulling into a parallel parking space so you don’t have to pull off a 27-point turn or stopping the car for you to avoid a collision, these so-called driver override systems used by the automotive industry are making life behind the wheel a little safer for everyone.
Biometric Access
Have you ever frantically patted yourself down, searching in vain for keys that are locked inside the car? With biometric access, locksmiths may find themselves with a lot less work. Typically tied to a driver’s fingerprint, biometric technology allows a user – or users, depending on profile setups – to enter their car and find their preferred seat and mirror positions ready to go. The automotive industry has recognized that this tech not only simplifies unlocking car doors, it also adds a compelling level of security for the people and possessions inside.
Tracking
Car insurance, from the policy-maker’s side, is all about obtaining accurate numbers to determine the risk ratio of a given driver. Recognizing that the “self reporting” method of measuring mileage and usage can be prone to bias, the automotive industry has given insurance companies a rare opportunity: tracking. By designing cars that can interface with small tracking modules, companies can pinpoint risk factors like speed, parking placement and overall mileage for policyholders that opt into the technology.
Smartphone Integration
Distracted drivers are a huge problem on roadways, increasing the likelihood of accidents virtually everywhere.Automotive industry technology that interfaces with smartphones, reading texts aloud, automatically putting calls on speakerphone and taking voice commands, is helpful. In addition to assisting adult drivers with their communication needs, this tech can also be used to restrict younger drivers from using their phones as they travel, by automatically “locking in” communication features at the dashboard and locking them out at the phone level. This automotive industry prevention tech builds safe habits and keeps parents from worrying about distracted driving for teens.
Automatic High Beam Control
A small but very important inclusion on this tech list, AHBC is more than a move towards polite driving, it’s eliminating a huge safety concern in terms of night driving. The automotive industry knows how easy it is to accidentally “blind” an oncoming driver by neglecting to turn down high beams, and has automated the process to keep both your vehicle and other vehicles safe on the road. Extremely useful for woods-to-urban style roads and steep hills in low lighting, this step is especially important in an age where high-intensity LED headlights are becoming standard installations in vehicle manufacturing.
Under pressure to create cars that not only look beautiful but drive smoothly, it’s encouraging that the automotive industry hasn’t let innovation fall by the wayside. What will the future hold for cars? With the technology already in enthusiastic use on today’s roadways, it seems that drivers of the future are in for quite the luxurious ride.
With all that being said, it is therefore highly important for automotive technicians to have the level of education required. If we are to adapt to change in order to meet customer demand then this is necessary. We at All Around Auto Repair understand that is why we offer a far superior service when compared to our competitors. Contact us for a consultation as we are ready to assist.
