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The Future of In-Car Computing

Posted by Soulskill on from the keeping-up-with-the-hasselhoffs dept.

Barence writes "PC Pro is running a collection of articles looking at the future of in-car computing technology. They discuss how smartphones will become the primary means of in-car entertainment, how satnavs will be integrated into fighter-jet style heads-up displays, and how cars will create wireless mesh networks that warn each other of upcoming delays and collisions. The also explore the issue of integrating driverless cars onto the roads. 'It's one thing having smart cars that can talk to each other and react accordingly, but if half of the cars are dumb, it's another issue.'"

3 of 112 comments (clear)

  1. Collision Detection? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    So they are building in a "collision detection system" that I can hack and get the car next to me to drive off the road. Cool.

    1. Re:Collision Detection? by fudoniten · · Score: 3, Insightful

      They have that now. The collision detection system is the human who's driving. You can hack it by driving up beside them, and then pulling abruptly towards them. They're very likely to swerve right off the road!

      The implicit question here is: you can already be a vicious asshole and try to kill people, but you don't. Why would you do so if their car happened to be computer-driven?

      Also, frankly, give the computer driver a few generations, and it's responses will probably be much safer and more reasonable than a panicky human driver.

      Remote hacking and viruses are a potential problem; preferably the car's autopilot will be entirely isolated from any network connection. You could still walk up, stick an ethernet plug in, bypass the security system, and upload malicious code. Or, you could cut the breaks.

  2. Re:upgrades not always good by h4rr4r · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That is not a tech problem, that is a driving problem. STOP FUCKING TAILGATING.