FROM
THE EDITOR
This week, Amy Malagamba is back with a broader look at automotive applications of embedded technology. From safety systems and infotainment, to super-advanced capabilities like autodrive and adaptive cruise control, embedded technology is becoming more and more pervasive in our cars. The industry is responding to this ravenous automotive technology appetite with advanced building blocks like high-performance processors and cores, reprogrammable hardware, advanced development tools, and flexible, standardized software environments.
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Kevin
Morris – Editor
Embedded Technology Journal
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Baby, You Can Drive My Car
Embedded Systems Fuel Automotive Innovations
When I began work on this article, my 10-year-old son looked over my shoulder at the computer screen and asked what I was writing about. When I explained that I was taking a look at the latest crop of embedded application innovations for the
automotive industry (not exactly in those words), he had trouble understanding what was so interesting about that. After all, he’s from a generation that watches DVDs on their way to school. In our car, we have a laptop in the middle
row showing SpongeBob episodes for the younger crowd, while the one in the back is featuring an Austin Powers festival. I reminded him that what he sees as commonplace, many of us think of as having come from futuristic TV shows of our childhood, like the Jetsons.
I explained that my first new car, a 1987 base-model Nissan Sentra sedan (powder blue), didn’t have conveniences like power windows, or safety features like airbags. His response? “Well, at least you had a CD player.” Heh. Truth be told, it came without a radio.
Since my first car was among the least expensive available when I made my purchase, I thought I would see what innovations are available today in that class. The lowest-priced sedan in the United States (according to my non-scientific web search) is the 2006 Chevrolet Aveo, with a
starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price under $10,000. It has safety features including front and side airbags. I also learned that you can, in fact, still buy a car without power windows and power door locks, but an AM/FM stereo
and air conditioning are included as standard features. Not bad. More than I expected. [more]
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