From the web spanish version of autoblog/technology, I have known about a product that is being developed by Continental for the vehicles, named AutoLinQ and which I have been waiting for a long time, to tell you the truth. It is an entertainment and communication application that, based on the Google Android system, will get the car applications to a new upper level of possibilities.
Since the vehicles, each day more, move forward to a more automated manner of transport and with more presence of leisure time, it seems to me that this type of systems will win market share at a more than interesting rate. Moreover, Android base, will make Continental to get a quick implementation on cars, it could be not as an propper and integrated system on vehicles, but it is so probable that it will start fittable touch-screens with the system to be on market so everyone can have one of it.
About the AutoLinQ system, it is propper to analyze two points:
First, the possibilities offered, that seems to be infinite. To connect the vehicle with home, the mobile phone and internet gives us a wonderfull potential and applications like this will be more present on vehicles gradually for sure. As it is written on the Autoblog/technology blog, “For example, if you let the car parked and latter you start to doubt if it is closed or not, you will can send a sms like “Have I closed the doors?”. If the answer is negative you will only have to send another with the order to close it and AutoLinQ will close it for you”. Impressive.
What´s more, if we could connect the system to the vehicle electronics, or maybe get it to a higher level (I am convinced if you let Android programmers enter to the car electronics you will get a lot of applications), the car will be the funniest “gadget” of the driving passionated added to the ones that enjoy the “entertained trip”.
And second, driver on driving use with security. As a car interiors designer and as everyone that drives or work in the automotive world, it is known that driving is not the same as surfing the net with a laptop or using apps with the mobile phone. This one itself implicates a series of risk factors and demands concentration not at a minimum rate, but at one with a decent quality; let´s remember we are moving 1200 kg at more than 50 km/h, in the majority of cases, and 2 seconds of distraction can drive us to the disaster.
The fact of interacting with the vehicle dashboard, or any other button or element that has been placed for the use and pleasure of the user, implicates one action that happens for a determinated time and in what influence several factors. We have to remember that the driver, driving in a public road, has to think on what has to think: driving, moving a vehicle with a load or some passengers from A to B, in a secure manner, being quick, efficient or relaxed, but secure after all.
Having more or less buttons on a dashboard is something that the public appreciates as brand personality and user likes, being correct in a manner. BMW has the iDrive and a center display of buttons that implicates infotainment, confort and so little more; Audi and Opel have a lot of buttons, even having systems like the MMI. Ones need more steps to do an action, but with less buttons or controls; in others, the action is more direct, but with more scattered and diverse buttons. Even so, everything is where has to be, or at leastas is corroborated by the studies and hours of intense work with proffesionals in the development phase of the vehicle.
In a lot of concept cars have been shown dashboards with big tactile screens that promised an usability and level of personalization out of common, a great break; so did I, jeje. It could be feasible, but there´s a missing detail: tactile sensation of irregularities and the localization of buttons without having to look at them. Unconsciouslessly we learn where the buttons are so to on driving not to have to look at them, but on a tactile screen it is not possible; what´s more, we lose the haptical feeling of having touched it. This last one has been solved on mobiles with the vibration, but on car they are not well perceived (but it will be analized, for sure).
The AutoLinQ system is integrated on a tactile screen and drag all of these problems. Applications with an on-driving use should have an easy and common use logic, so to make feasible the comprehension and quick of use of the driver. It is not going to be an easy task, but Contintental has said applications will have to pass a quality and security control to make them available on driving.
In conclusion, the possibilities of this “free” system gives us a lot of joy and way to go and it is something people has been waiting for a long time, avoiding brand systems. However, on an on-driving use, security will have to have its weight well measured.
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