How the Cloud Will Change Your Car
The cloud has already changed vehicle technology, but it isn’t widely available to the public just yet. As the innovation literally driving autonomous cars continues to develop, we creep closer to a time when driverless and heavily automated vehicles will dominate the freeways. The latest and greatest cars on the horizon will rely heavily on the cloud in many exciting ways.
Automated Driving
Driverless technology is easily the most exciting innovation on the near horizon. This relies heavily on cloud computing, as the car’s computer relays information between radar sensors and GPS data to navigate roadways. Some cars already have autopilot technology, enabling the vehicle to back out of your driveway and meet you curbside. Total automation is not yet legal or perfected, but the technology is here.
Convenience
Your computer uses cookies to track your web usage and make recommendations based on what you’ve viewed. Expect a similar experience with cloud tech in your vehicle. For example, the cloud can get to know your preferences and recommend things such as places to eat, the cheapest nearby gas stations, or the best hotels for you while you’re out and about.
Entertainment
Do you like to listen to music while you drive? Do your passengers enjoy watching movies on long trips? Entertainment is poised for a massive upgrade as more cloud technology is added to everyday vehicles. When full automation arrives, everyone will become a passenger and can connect their devices to the vehicle’s Wi-Fi to play games, watch movies, and more. This will also turn your commute into a great time to check emails and get some work done.
Navigation and Guidance
Most drivers have already encountered cloud computing in their vehicles via GPS. But the future holds much more than just opening up Google Maps on your phone or entering an address on your car’s touch screen. Cloud computing will provide real-time weather and traffic updates and find a new route as soon as an accident or delay is discovered on the road ahead.
Cloud Security and Safety Features for Drivers
Many people associate cloud computing and electronics in general with security risks. But the truth is, as the technology progresses, so does the security provided. Modern cloud platforms such as AWS feature the latest in cloud security technology, ensuring that the data collected and transmitted is safe.
In addition to modern security features protecting your vehicle’s computer, connecting to the cloud will introduce many new security applications for cars and drivers. For example, 81 percent of vehicle crashes are attributed to human error. Automation and cloud computing massively reduce the likelihood of these types of errors and act to correct them when they do occur. In fact, the automated technologies we already have, such as blind spot monitoring and automatic braking, are already decreasing the occurrence of these accidents.
The future has lots in store when it comes to cloud computing and your vehicle, and it won’t be long until these features are standard for all drivers. You can even visit a dealership and see some early manifestations of these technologies today.