Ford Uses Google For a New Type of Smart Car 68
RedEaredSlider writes "Ford is using Google technology, specifically its Prediction API, to create a new brand of smart cars. The famous American car company announced it's teaming up with Google to use Prediction API in future cars. The API will be able to use historical driving data and turn it into real time predictions, such as where a driver is headed at the time of a departure. From there, an on-board computer might communicate with the driver, and trigger an optimized power-train control strategy. For an electric car, a predicted route of travel could include an area restricted to electric only driving. Thus, a plug-in hybrid would be able to optimize energy and preserve battery by switching to an all electric mode during travel."
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>such as where a driver is headed at the time of a departure
Welcome, I am Ford Bob for Car$. Are you trying to go to your drug dealer, today?
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The first day it says "It looks like you are going to work. Would you like to stop by Starbucks first?".
Day two: "It looks like you are going to work. Would you like to stop by Starbucks first?"
Day three: off
I mean... (Score:2)
So, Aida but worse? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huQLyjwskQo [youtube.com]
And then... (Score:2, Interesting)
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Some bullet points of the Google Prediction API: [google.com]
I would be unsurprised if it was sponsored by the FBI [gizmodo.com]? (cops with a budget [nytimes.com] of $4.4 billion), easy one-stop-shopping data collection with a handy web interface, no subpoena needed?
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Dude, we know you're working for Facebook now, no sense posting as a Coward.
So what? (Score:2)
Why do people make such a big deal about targetted ads?
What difference does it make what is on the billboard?
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Ya your right, Billboards might start showing ad's related to their local areas!! Because I know where I live I only see billboards for foreign country businesses. Oh the humanity of it all!
And collecting data? (Score:1)
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Future cars (Score:3)
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The best car will be the one that makes you feel like you're taking the bus, but on your personal schedule and route. I.e., the one that chauffeurs you.
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Really?
I'm not one to worry about all the tracking and what-not that's going on (though, admittedly, I probably should). But there are a plethora of ways such a system could track you. I'd even argue that it'd be significantly easier than any existing system we have now. For instance, using the whole automated car as an example:
The car will need an on-board computer with internet access so it can accurately look up the "quickest" route to your destination. Since it requires internet access, it could/would h
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I wouldn't worry about lost revenue, it would be more than compensated for by a reduction in the number of accidents caused those who drive drunk, speed, and improperly change lanes... Computers should be much better at keeping to the rules and preventing accidents than humans.
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The best car will have an engine with a flat torque curve, high amounts of available torque, a high redline, a manual gearbox, a limited slip diff, rear wheel drive, and only enough computing power to manage the engine and other critical mechanical systems.
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Also, get off of my lawn.
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And it will only go uphill, and only in snow.
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You like beer, don't you?
Same deal.
Battle of the tech titans, on your dashboard! (Score:2)
I wonder how MS(Sync) and Google will coexist in the same car. Will Sync go ahead and call AAA for you in an attempt to smear the Google provided route? Will Google go ahead and terminate your Bluetooth connection for you because it thinks you shouldn't be on the phone? Will they both attempt to buy out the ECU for the marketshare of the computer network in the car?
Could be fun, to watch, not to drive.
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I wonder how MS(Sync) and Google will coexist in the same car. Will Sync go ahead and call AAA for you in an attempt to smear the Google provided route? Will Google go ahead and terminate your Bluetooth connection for you because it thinks you shouldn't be on the phone? Will they both attempt to buy out the ECU for the marketshare of the computer network in the car?
Could be fun, to watch, not to drive.
I'm certain the facebook car already hates it.
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Everyone knows it's going to be Apple vs. Everyone soon. I predict a massive dilution in shareholder value coming! They have nothing in their hand and they know it. It's a classic case of luck, and they deserve it to a certain extent. But they are not going to continue getting lucky like iPod+iPhone. I mean, that's like rolling 10 7's in a row.
More fragile complexity (Score:2)
Yet another layer of complexity and technology to squeeze out, what, a couple percentage points of "efficiency"? This is Rube Goldberg nonsense.
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2% * all cars on the road is still a pretty substancial impact.
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2% is pretty much the depletion rate. But my point is really that an immense amount of complicated tech is going into a paltry bit of gain. Anything but recognizing the problem. The problem isn't getting a couple of percentage points better mileage (which I doubt this will do anyway). The problem is too many people, too many cars, and declining oil production.
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It's not a breakthrough. It is another layer of complexity to eke out a bit more mileage. What is the infrastructure required to provide this (non) breakthrough? How robust is it?
We don't need cars that get 2% more mileage - we need a Plan B. We haven't got one.
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We don't need cars that get 2% more mileage - we need a Plan B. We haven't got one.
There's always the default Plan B -- stop driving.
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Agreed. A much simpler solution would be a little toggle switch you could hit to drop the car into electric-only mode at your discretion. However, such an obvious solution has the disadvantage of not requiring your car to track you and record voluminous details on your commuting habits, which is the real reason behind this innovation.
I don't want "smart" tech, I want obedient tech. And if I was was worried about efficiency, I'd put bigger tires on my truck to get the whole cat in one pass.
I predict (Score:2)
It will take you to the parking lots or navigate you past businesses who have bought search results.
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I predict it will lead you down blind alleys. Again and again.
Fluff piece (Score:2)
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It says "smart car" [wikipedia.org], right?
1984 (Score:3)
And while you drive... (Score:1)
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
That's all fine and dandy (Score:2)
My worst car-automation-related nightmare (Score:5, Funny)
an unholy marriage between Microsoft Sync and Google Prediction API: Auto Navigation Clippy.
Clippy: "Hi! I see you're trying to drive to your drug dealer's place again. Would you like me to take over?"
Driver: "No! Heheh, I don't know why the computer would say that, Mom."
Mom: <glare>
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The date skynet goes online... (Score:1)
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once your car finds out it can get free pr0n on the internet, we're all screwed!
The situation you describe leads to an exponential proliferation of free pr0n on the internet.
Something I always wondered about (Score:4, Insightful)
stop wondering (Score:1)
Automatic transmissions can already handle hills. No database required. What would a database-driven predictive shifter do?
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Automatic transmissions can already handle hills. No database required. What would a database-driven predictive shifter do?
In a hybrid: Optimize the operation of the engine on trips so:
- going through mountains you arrive at the highest pass with batteries near minimum charge - ready to recapture the energy of your descent from the mountain to power your trip across the following valley
- you arrive at the foothills with full charge to enable you to keep your speed going up the mountains, bu
Optimized Driving (Score:2)
If you're serious about all this energy saving "use less" mentality, then don't drive a car. The solution isn't to reduce our usage, but to find denser, more efficient, power generation and storage to replaces gasoline.
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Ever ride shotgun? How much trouble have you had going to a cool store and stop to check it out? You'll be able to do it more with this as there's no strict driver to argue and say no.
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Isn't the point of driving a car that it *isn't* optimized? You see a cool store and stop to check it out, go to get groceries, then maybe go for a spirited drive in the country? It's the essence of the american dream, freedom, mobility, and life on your own terms.
I think you fail to recognize that some Americans dream of sitting in their car while it drives them, thus freeing us to get back to our mobile information fixation devices, or other forms of instantaneous gratifications such as the orgasmatron. The cool stores all have websites, grocers deliver (yes, in my neighborhood), much of the "country" I knew in my youth has been paved...
(Speaking of country, that reminds me: While scanning across several stations I came across a "country music" station -- I don
Funny, there was a SciFi short story ... (Score:1)
... where a smart car discovered through car network chatter that the best way to optimize its service lifetime was to ... get rid of its aggressive driver owner through a series of false failures - and then find a little old lady for a second owner, who kept it parked in a garage 99% of each week.
Kudos to readers who can find the story citation and its authors.