Intelligent cars 'around the corner'

If battling the peak hour traffic leaves you fuming, then your car could soon have all the answers.

While it might sound like the stuff of science fiction, experts say intelligent vehicles capable of solving problems are just around the corner.

In time, your vehicle will not only talk to you but give you traffic updates in real time and tell you how much credit is available in your tollway account.

Better yet, if you've left the iron switched on or want to walk in the door to an air-conditioned home, then simply leave it to your trusty car.

"In many ways, the future is already here," says Bill Petreski, general manager of ITECplace, a company that specialises in global innovation.

"A lot of the technologies we are talking about already exist. Our role is to implement ideas, to build the applications into our cars.

"Imagine being able to control household appliances from the driver's seat or have your car tell you where empty parking spots might be around town. The opportunities and benefits are enormous."

The key to this futuristic vision is "telematics" - or, quite simply, the science of cars talking to their operators or communicating with the environment around them.

This week, Australian and Taiwanese scientists met at a series of workshops in Melbourne to discuss various partnerships for the supply and delivery of telematics technologies they say will transform the auto industry.

As well as in-car entertainment systems such as DVDs and internet access for back-seat passengers, experts also predict a quantum leap in road safety.

Two products featured at this week's workshops include spectacles that can tell when the driver is falling asleep at the wheel and a system that signals when the motorist is approaching a transient zone, such as outside schools or roadworks, where speed limits differ from time to time.

"Take school zones, for example - often there are a lot of road signs on approach which can be overwhelming and confusing for the driver," Mr Petreski explains.

"With a simple e-tag device, the car will give a verbal or audio alert telling the motorist to slow down to the correct speed limit.

"Equally in country Victoria, in recent years we've seen quite a few rail crossing accidents where there has been very little signage or other road warnings.

"Your car will soon be able to tell you that you're approaching the crossing, enabling you to slow down or stop accordingly."

Sleep diagnostics technology has also been used to develop special glasses with an infra-red monitor that detects eyelid movements and drowsiness, indicating the driver could be nodding off at the wheel.

While such gadgets and toys might sound expensive, industry experts say all consumers will soon be able to benefit as advanced systems become standard.

"Many cars now include navigation systems with some top-of-the-range models including collision avoidance systems, white line recognition and remote satellite locking and unlocking, so you can unlock your car when you lose your keys using your mobile phone," says Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (AEEMA) chief executive, Angus Robinson.

Together with ITECplace, AEEMA is putting Australian companies in touch with international partners through events like the Melbourne workshops.

And, while some local firms are already supplying advanced telematic systems to car manufacturers like BMW, Toyota and Volkswagen, hundreds more opportunities still exist for local producers to supply car makers around the world, says Robinson.

"The objective of the workshops is to introduce potential partners from Australia and Taiwan and other countries, then give them the tools to share their ideas and open up new markets," adds Mr Petreski.

Other Australian ideas leading the telematics revolution include a mobile phone-based system that reports exactly where a car is driving 24 hours a day, and an in-car internet system that sends SMS messages to remind owners when their car is due for a service.

"Imagine having your car tell you where there might be a vacant parking meter somewhere in the CBD or telling you the best fuel prices in the area and the quickest way to the petrol station," says Mr Petreski.

"I know those sorts of things would be a big help, especially driving around a city like Melbourne."

Source: AAP 2007

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