Siri, Take The Wheel

The Mercedes Touchpad is one of the slickest touch input devices out on cars
today. It also features a "wheel" for those more used to their old system.

New technology often tries to make our lives more simple, usually by making things more convenient for us. Unfortunately, it can also distract us from paying attention to what we’re doing. Welcome to the world of distracted driving. Nearly all of us carry our phone with us wherever we go, which means we’re always connected to others, even while driving.

Audi was one of the first manufacturers to introduce a
touch input for their MMI (multimedia) system.

Fortunately, automakers have come up with numerous ways to integrate our own gadgets to our cars in a safe way. With navigation/multimedia screens becoming increasingly more common in cars, many automakers including Audi, Lexus, and Mercedes have re-tooled their input systems so that you can get to the information you want in a much more intuitive way.

Gone are the days of having to press directional arrow keys to select what you want on the screen. Instead, it’s been replaced by something that’s far more simple to use – a touchpad. Now with the literal wave of a finger, you can write out your destination, or use it to scroll through phone contacts or dial a number on your phone via Bluetooth.

Terrible writing or not, Audi's touchpad knows exactly
which letter you're trying to draw.

If using physical inputs isn’t your cup of tea, you can always use voice controls to do your bidding. Voice control has come a long way over the years, even if my dad still insists on yelling commands because he doesn’t think the system can hear him. iPhone users have gotten used to giving orders to Siri, and it’s nice to see that this technology is following suit to certain new vehicles. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are two operating systems coming to a dashboard near you, that transform your car’s display to a similar layout of the main screen on your phone.

This means that you can then send a text with voice controls as you would with Siri, and have any new texts read out loud by the same system. Chevy has recently launched a new “Teen Driver” monitoring system in their 2016 Malibu, which mutes the radio until all seatbelts are fastened, enables all safety measures (traction control, ABS, etc.), and can even report back to parents if the driver exceeds a pre-determined range of speed, or if they happen to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision.

That’s probably a teen’s worst nightmare, but if it helps keep our roads safer then I’m all for it. It’s important for technology to enrich our lives, but also equally important that it doesn’t distract us from what matters the most. With these new systems, you’ll be able to enjoy these innovations and still keep your eyes on the road.     

The Future Is Bright

New LED headlight units are very bright. And that's a good thing.

Driving down a rural road late at night, you mutter to yourself about what a lousy job your yellow-tinted incandescent headlights are doing at lighting up the road. Up ahead in the distance, you spot two bright white, laser-etched designs coming towards you. Old technology, meet new technology.

Audi's R8 was the first production car
to feature LED headlights.

Welcome to the world of the LED light. It’s incredibly common these days to spot a car driving around with a neat glowing design, but just a few years ago, it was more of a rarity. Personally, I think that LEDs add a nice cosmetic touch to vehicles by creating a sort of light signature through the car's headlights and brake lights. While this is of course subjective, it’s undeniable that these bright, “cool” coloured lights help make our roads safer to drive on.

Audi was the first auto manufacturer to put LEDs to use in their vehicles. They pioneered this practice by including LED daytime running lights on their 2005 A8 sedan, and took this a step further by being the first to install all-LED headlights in their 2008 R8 supercar. Not only are they brighter than any previous headlight technology out there, they’re a part of the greener, more environmentally-friendly movement in the auto industry.

LEDs allow manufacturers such as Mercedes to create
a visual "signature" which can be identified from far away.

LEDs by their very nature are quite energy efficient. Unlike older incandescent bulbs, they don't generate a great deal of heat, and they have a lifespan that often exceeds 50,000 hours of use. Like any other new technology, LEDs still tend to be an expensive option on most new vehicles. Certain manufacturers such as Mercedes have created headlight units featuring “adaptive high beam” systems, which automatically control your high beams by using a front-facing camera (remember those from last week?) that detects if a car is approaching you, and turns them off all by itself.

What’s next? Audi and BMW are using lasers as headlights on certain models in Europe, though they’re still considered to be illegal for use in the U.S. at present time. But for now, the future is looking bright thanks to the auto industry's innovative use of LEDs, and the added safety factor that they provide by illuminating all of our journeys.

On The Road Again

I drive a Jeep, but only get it muddy on occasion. 

Hi everyone, and welcome to Innovation On Wheels. Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog! Two of my passions in life are cars and technology. I'm hoping that with this blog, I'll be able to convey my combined love of these topics in a way that will be interesting, and maybe even – apologies in advance – educational too.

It’s safe to say that technology plays a huge role in our lives. Typically, new innovations aim to improve our lives in some form or another. Within the auto industry, this means finding new ways to keep drivers and their passengers safe, while also providing us with new conveniences and luxuries. 

It’s also interesting to note that innovations in the auto industry don’t just stay within the realm of passenger vehicles. Did you know that technologies are commonly transferred between ordinary road cars and Formula One race cars? It's hard to believe, but that strange looking hybrid car that you just passed on the highway has more in common with an F1 can than you might expect.

My friend's Mercedes 300E, before it joined the great
scrapheap in the sky.

From new infotainment systems that aim to fully integrate your smartphone in the car, to cars that practically drive themselves, I’ll be covering a wide range of topics. Some innovations are really useful, while others prove to be completely useless. I look forward to showcasing a bit of everything that’s out there today.  

Thanks for reading!