Experience a new level of Car Infotainment system with Connected Car

The demand for luxurious, safe, and smart vehicles is rapidly growing. Automotive manufacturers are developing automobiles with integrated infotainment systems. These systems have the ability to provide entertainment and information relevant to their passengers. It is done to enhance the in-vehicle experience for the driver and the passengers traveling.

The present-day infotainment systems and the ones to come in the future can connect with smart automotive technologies as well. Automotive systems like sensors, ADAS systems, V2X connectivity, and telematics integrate them with each other.

What is In-vehicle infotainment?

In-Vehicle Infotainment is a combination of systems to enhance the automotive experience. It delivers entertainment and information to the driver and the passengers through advanced audio/video interfaces and control elements like touch screen displays, voice commands and buttons.

HARMAN Connected Services has highly revamped the information and entertainment trends of the automotive industry. Some of the features of an in-vehicle infotainment system by HARMAN Automotive are:

High-resolution Touch Screen: Touch Screens are generally made up of LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or TFT (Thin Film Transistors). These systems display a range from 2 inches to 12 inches in general, although some HD displays are 20 inches wide.

Analog and Digital Tuners for Radio Reception: In the infotainment systems, it is referred to the AM and FM tuner bands for low to premium infotainment systems. AM and FM radio channels can be adjusted to both manual and auto-tuning or can be scanned for available radio stations.

Multimedia Support: Connected car infotainment systems transfer personalised and interest based audio and video content to display screens, speakers and headphones. Channels like Bluetooth, HDMI cable, or USBs can be used.

Smartphone Pairing: The driver or other fellow passengers in the smart-car can pair with the vehicle infotainment system using Bluetooth connectivity. Pairing the smartphone with the system enables the user to access features of the phone through the infotainment system.

Advanced Vehicular Functions: In-vehicle infotainment systems by HARMAN supports features like parking assistance, climate controllers, voice assistants and daytime running lights indicators can control system functionalities.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay Compatibility: Both of the platforms allow users to integrate their smartphones with the HARMAN car’s infotainment system. While Android Auto supports apps from Google through any of the Android-based smartphones. Similarly, the Apple CarPlay supports iOS-based apps from the App Store.

Connected Energy : Future of Energy Industry

There are many smart devices, shrinking price & size of sensors, advanced connectivity, e-commerce, and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication that are creating new opportunities and business models in the energy industry.

 

A strategic technology partner is needed that will help you transform, modernise, and integrate existing solutions and at the same time build new capabilities i.e., faster and cheaper. A company like Harman that has end-to-end capabilities and services is ideally placed to address this gap and deliver a smarter energy ecosystem.

What are the factors driving innovation

Now let us talk about the factors that are driving innovation. If you evolve customer expectations for greater control over the amount and timing of the energy they use and expect differentiated services. The alternate energy is seeing a rise in the form of solar and sustainable energy innovative and pervasive digital Technologies that could provide high-performance computing at lower costs New Business Models: Emergence of dynamic pricing, distributed power generation, smart meter, etc. is making utilities rethink their role in the value chain.

What are the recent trends

Smart Grids: Transition from the one-way grid to the decentralised, interconnected two-way system is underway. Distributed Generation: In this, utilities are taking a direct role in supplying distributed generation to their customers Energy Analytics - Analysis of smart grid information requires advanced analytic solutions. Dynamic Pricing: Smart grid adoption enable pricing to reflect the variable supply costs.

 

Challenges being faced currently

When talking about old infrastructure complexity it is at 605 of electric grid assets that cannot support next-gen services regulations, security and compliance are continually changing. Data integration with business systems: Integrating data from connected devices from smart meters, grids, and employees and into existing corporate business systems such as ERP, CRM, BPM

Now let us talk about connected energy as a service

What connected energy does help a single cloud-based platform to unify Internet of Things-Smart devices and systems, connectivity, data, and analytics and automation – to make grids scalable and smart.

-First, let us talk about the smart grid as a service. It is a cloud-based smart grid which is integrated to SCADA. It also operationalises advanced distribution management and outage management system. In addition to that, derives insights from AMI operations to optimise smart meter deployment and n/w ops. Moreover, to prevent any asset failure or damage, it also provides predictive maintenance and condition monitoring.

 

Now jumping towards the features

●     It creates a middle layer between the Utility & MDMS suite to address billing and AMI data

●     Also, provide pre-packaged common billing determinants and common invoice templates that can be reused

●     Helps in delivering simple, flexible, intuitive and self-learning data transformation mapping tool

●     Reconfigurable mapping options to work with custom MDMS.

●     Provide a pre-packaged & pre-configured installable client interface.

How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming the Automotive Industry

The value of Artificial Intelligence in automotive manufacturing and cloud services will exceed $10.73 billion by 2024. This prediction is made keeping in mind the value addition happening in this sector every year. In the present day scenario, if you think about the AI applications in the automotive industry, your mind will directly go towards driverless cars. However, AI can do more than that with the help of digital personal assistant. For example- it can keep us connected and safe while we are driving ourselves. 

Let’s look at the other applications of AI and how is it transforming the automotive industry.

1. AI Driving Features

Artificially intelligent cars offer two levels of functionality, i.e. Driver Assist and Fully Autonomous Mode. The difference between the two are listed below:

Driver Assist: It gives ample time for the wheels and the car control to sync in with AI before it puts in the co-pilot’s seat. AI enables advanced safety features for connected cars. Dozens of sensors help AI in identifying dangerous situations such as either it will alert the driver or take the emergency control to avoid an accident and save lives.

Driverless Automobiles: For nearly a century, the mechanical muscle to control a car has been within reach. An enormous amount of processing power is needed to drive a vehicle as driving involves more than just following a set of rules or an algorithm; it involves learning. Fully driverless cars are not yet a reality for most of us, but companies like Harman are working towards autonomous vehicles and has made this a reality.

2. AI Cloud Services

Both the functionality which are offered by autonomous cars merely lend a helping hand as they need gobs of data to do their thing. The AI cloud platform ensures that the data is available when needed.

Predictive Maintenance : Artificial Intelligence not only alerts us with check-engine lights, oil lights, and low-battery indicators but also monitors hundreds of sensor and helps in detecting problems before any of the vehicle operations is affected. AI monitors thousands of data points per second which enables it in spotting minute changes which may lead to a component failure- often long before the failure could leave you stranded.

Individualised Marketing : Advertising competition has become fierce between all the email ads, social media monetisation and pay-per-click website. Sorting the raw data to target qualified prospects has become difficult. With AI’s connection to big data, vehicle infotainment systems can be used to suggest products and services to drivers based on a wealth of raw data, for example, it can suggest a relevant restaurant according to the driver’s eating habits or the nearest gas station in case of low-fuel.

3. Driver Monitoring

AI can help in keeping an eye on the driver as well. It can detect driver’s behaviour mainly in four areas with advanced cameras and sensors.

Driver Identification: Intelligent personal assistant can quickly identify if the driver is sitting in the vehicle or not.

Driver Recognition: With advanced AI facial recognition algorithms, detecting who is driving the car has become easy. Moreover, the system will adjust seat, mirror and temperature according to the individual’s need.

Driver Monitoring: By observing the movement of the eyes, it can detect distracted driving and alert the driver, and in case of a crash, airbags will be deployed to reduce injury according to how the driver is seating.

Infotainment Control : Just because someone is driving does not mean they do not need to interact with the vehicle infotainment system. AI recognises simple hand gestures to allow the driver to control the infotainment system without taking their eyes off the road.

Artificial intelligence is changing the way people commute. These were some of the factors how technical advancements like personal digital assistant have brought a revolution in the automotive industry. It is evident that these developments will continue to maximise the driving comfort and release the risk factors involved.

3 Key Human Machine Interface Developments in the Future

Before we get into the meat of this topic, the first thing that we need to discuss is what HMI development is. In layman’s terms, an HMI services is the translation of machine language into a form that can be understood and interacted with by humans. The whole point of Human Machine Interface development is to help streamline the communication between industrial control systems into a visual representation that is readable by humans.

The sheer number of ways in which this technology can be developed is nothing to scoff at. After all, the fact of the matter is that the rapidly developing nature of today’s landscape means that there are sure to be a vast number of changes that will majorly impact the future of our society as a whole. Keeping this prevailing mentality in mind, here are some of the major ways in which HMI services will impact us in the future.

Virtual Reality (VR): One simply can’t talk about the evolving nature of the human-machine interface and not mention what is quickly shaping up to become one of the hottest applications of Human Machine Interface development. While the technology of VR might be off to a rocky start, one can’t deny the fact that this technology will definitely shape the future of how we interact with our surroundings. Of course, VR is not alone, and there’s another form of reality that will combine with this technology to help bring HMI services to a whole another level.

Augmented Reality (AR): While virtual reality involves the usage of a cumbersome headset to help facilitate this technology – a major sticking point that has proven to be a significant roadblock when it comes to the acceptance of this particular form of HMI – augmented reality might actually prove to be even more effective. The rampant success of Pokémon Go should make it abundantly clear that AR is on its way to become the leading application of HMI technology, which will prove to be incredibly helpful over time.

Artificial Intelligence (AI): The umbrella term of AI covers a large swath of concepts, which speaks volumes when it comes to the all-encompassing nature of this technology. So, obviously, HMI services comprise a major section of this technology as well, and it’s imperative for the people behind this development to adopt the latest HMI services so that developing this technology can become significantly easier.

So, it’s obvious that HMI development will quickly become one of the major developments of 2018, that will help immensely when it comes to improving the relevance of machine technology. It goes without saying that this technology will help shape the future of this technological landscape by a country mile.

Benefits of Over-the-Air Updates and Data Management for the Automotive Industry

With the widespread adoption of IoT services and solutions in various industries all over the world, it is evident that the automotive industry is not far behind when it comes to this particular digital trend. OTA software has become widely commonplace for many reasons, and the development of this specific technology has led to the possibility of self-driven cars becoming a tangible reality sooner rather than later. All of this is possible due to these innovative OTA solutions, and the various ways in which they will shape the automotive industry over time is something that needs to be discussed. Here’s an in-depth look at how OTA software updates and data management will be crucial when it comes to the automotive industry.

Improved universal location services: With the rise in IoT solutions for the automotive industry and the improvement of location services that can be availed (such as Google Maps; a slice of technology that is honestly taken for granted), regular OTA software updates will become necessary to provide continuous updates and ensure that this technology can be as accurate as possible, to prevent the chances of any errors that might hamper the automotive industry.

Keeping the connection between cars secure and undisturbed: One of the possibilities in the automotive industry that is quickly becoming a reality is the fact that every car will be connected to each other, transmitting information to a standard IoT platform that can be accessed by all these devices. This can help vehicles to choose the optimum way to reach their destination, which can be adversely affected by unpredictable changes such as spontaneous traffic jams, accidents, disasters, construction processes and whatnot. Utilising OTA solutions to make sure that this useful connecting is not hampered in any way, so that the application of this technology goes by as smoothly as possible.

Self-driven cars need extensive levels of cyber security: It’s incredibly exciting when one considers the fact that self-driven vehicles will become commonplace in the modern world sooner rather than later. This technology has been in the making for quite a while, and the fact that something so revolutionary that people have adopted extensively in science fiction will soon be at our doorstep feels like a dream come true. However, this technology comes with its own set of security concerns that need to be appropriately addressed before one can even think about providing this technology to the general public, and the automotive industry needs to focus on regular OTA software updates to make sure that cyber attacks cannot tamper with this technology.

By keeping these points in mind, your insights regarding anything and everything related to the field of OTA updates and data management should increase by a substantial amount. It goes without saying that these benefits will prove to be immensely helpful for the automotive industry, for more reasons than one.

The ultimate Internet of Things Solutions for Connected Car Systems

The technology of the Internet of Things solutions is continuously on the rise in today’s day-and-age
with constant development and innovations, and one of the major industries that have adopted this
technology to further their growth is none other than the automotive industry. After all, it’s a given
that connected cars require the highest-end technology to stay ahead of the curve, and one of the
best ways to facilitate this change is through the adoption of the latest IoT technology to promote
connected car solutions and improve the overall functionality of the automotive industry. Here are
the primary ways in which connected car systems is transforming the automotive industry:

Embedded Infotainment: It’s general human tendency to obtain the highest degree of comfort possible, and this rings true even during the act of driving. Connected car systems can help promote 3D and augmented navigation, multimedia support at multiple levels, smart apps for device integration, high-speed connectivity, and intuitive user experiences that don’t come in the way during your driving experience. This will help you obtain the highest degree of responsiveness and comfort possible in this scenario.

Telematics: It’s evident that one of the most significant advantages of utilising connected cars in the automotive industry is that it’s going to facilitate an unprecedented level of connectivity at all levels when it comes to these vehicles. This is where telematics comes into play, that enables drivers and passengers to stay connected at all times through the utilisation of this technology. This is done by leveraging a telematics control unit (TCU) to incorporate some form of cellular communication and create an automated system that facilitates this automotive connectivity.

Connected Safety: The concept of driver safety is gaining increasing prominence, what with the increasing frequency of accidents and road mishaps all over the world. To prevent such negative occurrences, the industry needs to utilise connected car systems to keep track of various metrics such as driver fatigue and enable a surround view for the driver so that they can stay aware at all times while driving.

Security: Of course, with the continued integration of technology in modern vehicles, a need will certainly arise for increased security levels to prevent any cyber-attacks or anything else of the sort. With the advent of connected car systems, self-driven cars are becoming less of a possibility and more of a reality, which makes the requirement of improved cyber security levels all the more necessary due to the implications of an online attack that can make the system go completely haywire and cause widespread panic.

It’s pretty apparent that the automotive industry will witness unprecedented levels of innovation
over the years with the widespread adoption of IoT technology, and it’s only a matter of time
before we enter the new era of transportation that will completely transform the way we enjoy
mobility services.

Related topics:

How the IoT is revolutionising business for the homes and building management

How The Internet Of Things Transforming the Connected Retail Industry

How the Internet of Things Transforming the Connected Retail Industry

How different do you think that today’s world is from what it was a few years back? I am sure that you’ll say that a lot. But what changed the world? What was that one thing that created disruptions amongst the world? One word for all these questions is “technology”. It’s the technological advancements that have brought the world to the palm of our hands. Get a CD for some movie that released in the 1980s and observe the change in processes and the world. No more waiting for days to get a message, no more going to arcadias to play your favourite games. World today is what older sci-fi movies used to predict. There are self-driving cars, cooking robots and health monitoring wrist watches out in the world which are already fully functional and easing the tasks for humans.

But, the pace at which world is changing nothing amuses us anymore. Think about it; if someone tells me that there is a robot available in the market that can understand the language of your dog and convert it to human language, I won’t be surprised. For me, the next thing that is making a difference and no one would have imagined is connected retail.

Connected retail is nothing but the advanced version of traditional retail with better functionality and features. Internet of Things is the technology that has brought the changes in the retail industry. Nowadays, retailers have access to information and technology that is enough to increase their sales by sizeable numbers, if they have a quality product.

Yes, apart from the Internet of Things for smart homes and smart building solutions there are solutions for retailers too that can help businesses to take their game to a whole new level. Let’s understand some of the regions where internet of things applications has brought ease to retailers and optimised their business operations.

Optimised supply chain and logistic maintenance: This is one area which is the primary concern of every retailer, and connected solutions have hit the right chords by providing solutions to retailers. IoT applications have optimised the processes for retailers and serve as the cost saver for people in the retail business. With connected solutions retailers can now manage and monitor the stock available in the store, the timeline to reorder the products and the number of products to reorder. All this data is available at a single point and extracted by observing various factors like the number of units purchased in a month, time to receive the product after ordering it and number of units left in the store. These solutions help retailers to maintain the stock and constantly meet the demands of consumers.

Engagement opportunities: With the use of IoT applications, retailers now can engage their consumers with better solutions. There is technology that can monitor and track the in-store movement of the consumers. With such technology in hand, retailers can now get the insight about the section in which an individual spends most of their time, the items that they selected but didn’t buy and many other things. Such data can be used by retailers to provide customised solutions to consumers to keep their business. For example A multi-brand outlet in town at the end of the day got data about a consumer shopping details and found that there was one product that the customer had till the checkout counter but didn’t buy because of the shortage of money. So, the store can provide a discount on the particular product to the consumer so that they can buy it on the discounted product and keep their business. This will not only help the store to get more business but also the happy consumer will share about their experience with others, which means more traction for the store.

Above are the few examples of how IoT applications have brought advancement in the retail business. Apart from this, there are things like self-checkouts, virtual closets that are also present in the market that makes the retail business easy and effective.

There is surely a lot more to come in the IoT and retail industry, and we are excited to see what awaits us in the future. We hope that the article was enough to give an insight into the connected retail solutions. But, if you wish to know more about the topic then you can have a look at HARMAN’s website and understand things in detail. HARMAN is one of the leading company that provides end-to-end IoT solutions to industries.