Ericsson showcases autonomous cars concept equipped with data-driven infotainment
The vision for autonomous cars is a society with no traffic, no accidents or fatalities on the road, and maybe even no need to own a vehicle – perhaps your city will deploy a fleet and you’ll buy access the same way you do garbage service or water.
And while that vision is a long way from being a reality, automakers and tech companies are considering what the drivers of autonomous cars will do while being transported. If there’s no need to actually drive the vehicle, automotive form factors could be adopted to support a range of activities, from working to meditating to catching up on your favorite TV show.
At the Mobile World Congress 2016 event, Ericsson showcased a concept for future autonomous cars featuring a fully integrated infotainment platform that uses data to optimize an individual’s drive time.
“What we have generated here is a platform that takes into consideration your habits, your personality, your identity, as well as your media preferences in trying to create a ubiquitous experience across the network domain,” said Diomedes Kastansis, CTO for software solutions at Ericsson. “As you have this time back from the autonomous driving component, we actually try to recommend specific content that fulfills your interest but also fits the time.”
So what does that mean? Imagine you were watching “Game of Thrones” and paused the show with 20 minutes left to run over to the in-laws to pick up a package. They live about 20 minutes away, which the car recognizes, then recommends you use the drive time to find out which beloved character bites the dust.
“The automotive industry is going through a huge transformation,” Kastansis said. “All these components are coming together for an explosive change within this industry. We believe that addressing that challenge, that opportunity utilizing best in class software solutions gives us a competitive edge. The means of commuting will eventually change when autonomous driving becomes the norm. The ability to stream video … will become essential for the selection of a car. That’s why we already now start investing on technologies, on innovations and ideas that will make this a reality.”
