Internet of Things in the Automotive Industry

One of the regularly used and heard jargons in the field of technology, now, is Internet of Things (IOT). It predicts that everyday objects will soon all be connected to the internet - from desktop computers to toasters and fridges. The concept of connectivity has grown from a privilege to a basic necessity and this being reflected across multiple industries. 

What started with Bluetooth headsets for cell phones has evolved to air conditioning systems that can be monitored and controlled from smart phones. One of the prominent industries that have kept up with these connectivity requirements is the Automotive Industry. Cars have gone from having cassette players to touch screen media dashboards, from check engine lights to blind spot detection.

We are now only at the brink of the IOT era - with constant connectivity embedded into cars and the data pouring in from multiple sensors, the possibilities are endless. Here’s a look at how the automotive industry plans to incorporate IoT into it: 

Vehicle Status and Safety

In the future, the Check Engine light will no longer cut it. With sensors gathering and transmitting data from multiple areas around the car, apps could remind you to refuel and even navigate you to the nearest gas station. IoT could detect and correct human mistakes, provide much more detailed diagnostics about failures and accidents in real time and request help when needed. 

Entertainment

It is already possible to connect phones and stream music, making radio and CD players superfluous. With IoT, phones will no longer need to be the tethering point; the car could connect directly to the streaming app of your choice and load what was playing last. 

Navigation 

Inbuilt GPS systems are already getting outdated in comparison to Google Maps and such. In the future, your car could connect to multiple sources of data about traffic, the weather, the condition of your car and determine the safest, quickest path to your destination. Ideally by distributing traffic more evenly across available routes, congestion and accident rates could also be lowered. 

Security 

Most cars today are able to detect when they are in trouble and bring attention to it, but as we all know, these systems can easily be set off by accident or be difficult to reset even when accurately alerting. Cars in the IOT era will be able to act with the level of security and ease of use that most phones have today. It would be possible ensure that no one but specific people can unlock the car. If the car still gets stolen, it would be easy to track it from your phone.

The most exciting prospect of all is that when each of these pieces is perfected and brought together, the need for a driver could be eliminated completely. Given the amount of time we all seem to spend in traffic, freeing up the driver’s attention and eliminating human error from the process of driving, could be the most beneficial results of the IoT era. It will be interesting to see where the industry goes with the constant evolution of Data Science and IoT. 

What are other cool features you would like to see incorporated into the cars of the future? Tell us in the comments!