One of the major aspects of driving is the sounds of the drive — the engine, the road, the environment. Normally, we spend our car time with the windows up, the music on, and the roof in place and closed. This year's unseasonably dry and warm weather has increased the number of “experience the outside”…
Driver's safety and driver's assistance technology is gaining a reliance on radar technology. While high performance and reliable, it comes with high cost. Component prices, placement issues in the vehicle, and power requirements have relegated these solutions to premium vehicles typically as options. Optical technologies are far more cost effective but have had some challenges…
New cars have been adding a large number of infotainment controls across the steering wheel and front dashboard. Ford has even included a large number of voice commands under the Sync system to the driver control system. These integrated systems have limited the ability to support new and updated infotainment and navigation functions from the…
Driver safety and awareness features are becoming standard, marking a change in OEM options for new vehicles. A few short years ago, display systems, steering wheel-mounted controls, and heads-up displays were rare items relegated to only top-of-the-line luxury vehicles. However, with the insurance industry recognizing the value of these technologies in reducing accidents and hence…
The new features of automotive interiors come at a cost of multiple sets of wireless information and content being delivered transparently to the driver. In the past, this was at most two antennas — AM and FM for the entertainment system. Modern vehicles need a few more antennas, and the count is growing. A typical…