5 Ways Your Car Is Faster, Smarter, and Better Than You
When we consider computers, it is easy to see how quickly technology is improving. Not 10 years ago, the idea of a tiny, handheld computer was ridiculous, but now smartphones are mandatory gadgets. However, less obvious is the advance of the technology in our cars.
Since 1910, cars have been getting us from here to there, yet in the last few years, our vehicles have become nearly sentient, containing astonishing features unpredicted by science fiction. Here are a handful of reasons we shouldn’t underestimate our vehicles
A Thinking Machine
In many ways, our cars have a nearly identical anatomy to our own; however, instead of being flesh and bone, cars are made of cool, hard metal. The engine-heart pumps gasoline like blood to nourish the system, while the computer-brain controls it all through a complex network of nerve-like wires.
In fact, those essential wires (like these from Wiring Specialties) are becoming more and more like our own highly sensitive nervous system. Soon, we will have cars that can detect malfunctions and mechanical trouble before they get disastrous. GM is working to enhance their current OnStar technology by adding delicate sensors to various critical parts.
Currently many cars come standard with alerts for oil level, tire pressure, and battery charge, but the new GM tech should add a number of components to that list, including the fuel pump and starter motor status. Eventually, GM hopes to monitor the health of all of a car’s systems, so you will never be stranded on the roadside again.
Wherever, Whenever
Cars move — that’s their main function. However, the fact that cars move is often a major inconvenience for many owners. Cars are misplaced more often than you might believe, and worse, as their own getaway vehicles, cars are easily stolen without a trace.
More and more automakers are including tracking technology in their vehicles. If you have any need of finding your car — for example, if your reckless teen snuck off in the night, if your block has seen a spate of grand theft auto recently, or if you mistakenly forgot your parking spot in a busy mall lot — you need only load a smartphone application to find your vehicle’s exact coordinates.
Some car companies are taking this capability even farther. Some trackers will alert you when your car is moving when it shouldn’t be or if it is moving faster than the speed limit, perhaps if your teenager is pushing his luck. Other car companies have added remote control technology so drivers can complete certain tasks from far away; for example, you could lock your car from the plane or start the A/C before you step into the summer heat.
Technological Clairvoyance
Though you may experience them only a handful of times throughout your life, accidents happen. However, carmakers are working hard to ensure that they happen as infrequently and safely as possible.
With GM’s enhancement of their OnStar service, the corporation is working toward understanding the myriad ways people can get hurt in collisions. Coupling this detailed information with data gleaned from sensors located around crashed cars, OnStar will be able to relay to authorities exactly what injuries were sustained during an accident. Then, paramedics know whether to rush or relax on their way to an accident site.
A Mobile Social Life
Using a smartphone while driving is quickly surpassing drunk driving as the most common cause of dangerous collisions — but many drivers still have trouble putting down their phones after they buckle up.
Fortunately, several carmakers are developing infotainment systems that automatically connect with and post to various social media platforms. For example, BMWs can evaluate data from the car, including your programmed destination, your current music, and the weather outside, to craft dozens of worthwhile social media posts that can go live with minimal driver distraction.
Driverless Driving
The race continues among automakers and tech companies for who can produce a road-worthy, market-ready self-driving car fastest (and safest). In the meantime, plenty of vehicles sport features that will inevitably show up in the driverless cars of the future. One of the first and most popular capabilities remains automatic parallel parking. However, automatic brakes during high-traffic, warning sounds during lane changes, and more are becoming common on the road today.