With the recent auto shows in Las Vegas and Detroit, car manufacturers rolled out the red carpet for the debut of complete smart cars to the likes we have only seen in movies. Each year technological improvements in the automotive industry raise the bar for the competition.
This year everything has been updated from typical body and performance improvements to brand new fully autonomous models. Some of the showcased tech are already gracing showrooms, while others have a year or two until they are on the market.
2020 is the goal for most of the automotive manufacturers, but that is certainly not a long ways off. Much can happen in a year, but let’s stay hopeful and look at the top technologies from the auto shows this year.
IMAGE: PIXABAY
Autonomous Capabilities
Mercedes-Benz rolled out an autonomous car in the Las Vegas CES show. This ability for the vehicle to drive itself has been a project for years for multiple brands, but this is the first fully-functioning automated vehicle to be showcased.
The car will need some type of human overlook, but for rural areas without many weather variables, full automation is on the horizon by 2020. This is still the beginning of this type of technology, but the results and safety features certainly are impressive.
Override Capabilities
Some cars will come to a complete stop, even if the driver is unprepared and did not press the brake. Since these are safety precautions ingrained into automated vehicles, they are looking out for dangerous situations they are programmed to respond too.
New driver-override will continue this practice, decreasing the amount of car accident lawyers needed, even if the driver has the gas pedal pressed completely down. This kind of technology is a valuable safety measure, especially for new drivers who may not have learned to break on time.
Biometric Access Capabilities
Like the new safety features on iOS, a new style of car entry was designed. No key is needed, only a fingerprint, or whichever personal feature the security is working with. A keyless start is becoming more and more popular, but you still need the device on your key ring. Soon you won’t have to remember to bring anything but yourself. This technology will stop anyone, who is not authorized in your system, from driving or even getting into your car.
Vehicle Tracking Capabilities
The tracking ability of freight cars or other shipping methods are practiced widely, but at the 2019 auto shows, the new tracking systems will be optional and aid in car insurance premiums. The Insurance company will offer you a rate based on your average driving habits. While this addition is entirely voluntary, it may become commonplace for insurance companies to require this tracking for specific premium options.
Vivid Screen Definition Capabilities
Head-Up Display has already made leaps and bounds from the hardly operational vehicle screens of the past. The display capabilities are moving with smart TV technology, as well as vibrant coloring and clarity.
This technology is reaching for goals like nothing we’ve ever seen in vehicles before. Imagine an augmented reality, which can display your HUD right on the windshield, so you don’t even have to look down, or even highlighted turns on the road ahead of you.
Remote Vehicle Control Capabilities
Remote vehicle controls are nothing new, with outside technologies like OnStar, but it is finally making the scene within car brands themselves. Think of stolen cars and the ability to turn the engine off, incepting the criminal, from within a safe office, instead of a hazardous car chase. This also allows a remote unlock if your keys are locked in the car, or starting the heat in the winter before you go out to the cold.
Health Monitoring Capabilities
Ford has used the new automation tech to prioritize health, even when you are driving. The proposal was seatbelts and steering wheels that can read the driver’s, or and passenger’s, heart rate. This could be paired with modern health trackers on your phone.
Along with the previously mentioned tracking and autonomous capabilities, this could create a vehicle that pulls over and calls the authorities automatically or even takes you straight to the hospital when needed.
Powerful Six-Cylinder Capabilities
Now in 2019, the Ford GT supercar was seen with a twin-turbo V6. This was a peek into the new style of powerful compact processors, making a 4-cylinder option of this supercar a prospect in 2020. Combined with new lighter carbon-fiber bodies, these vehicles are reaching impressive speeds with much less effort.
Full Internet Connection Capabilities
Beyond the modern GPS, there is still a way to go with integrating working high-speed internet in a vehicle. Depending on the car’s design, full systems of TVs are embedded in different areas. Rear seat screens have been around for people in the back, but in self-driving models screens will be available for the front seat as well.
Your vehicle can even become a hotspot for your other devices as well. Wherever there is internet, there are ads. While this technology will give you access to the same music, podcasts, and streaming capabilities on your phone, so they will also likely keep their same subscription costs as well.
Transformative Capabilities
One of the biggest showstoppers is the appearance of transformative vehicles. Now, these are not the typical ‘transformers’ thought of, but a small SUV that has reconfigurable panels. These panels are exceedingly light, with a strong motor powering a retractable roof and side paneling.
A vehicle with these capabilities can go from an SUV for the family to an open bed truck when more space is needed for moving cargo. Car technology is evolving each day, and suddenly, we are at a monumental moment of automated vehicles becoming a reality.
Many of the new features reflect how this focus on automotive driving is putting roots in everyday life. Some of these features seem like imaginative sci-fi technology, but the truth is we are advancing every day, and these things are becoming a reality.
If you are interested in even more technology-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
COMMENTS