The advancement of technology has affected almost everything in the world. From businesses to household appliances to automation, technology can be seen in almost all of these.
Since vehicles were introduced to the mass for consumption, technology has become a key part of the build process. Technology plays a very big role in the manufacturing of vehicles of any class.
This has made the automotive industry the start point of one of the biggest advancements in technology around the world. Technological impact in the world today has shaped the automotive industry that we see today.
The integration of technology into the automotive industry has rendered vehicles less recognizable from what they were decades ago when they mainly consisted of four wheels and steer, and their only purpose was to move a person from point to point.
Technology has also made the vehicles we see today much safer than they were decades ago.
Below are some of the ways through which technology has changed the automotive industry.
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Self Driving
Self-driving or autonomous driving is one of the new things that technology has introduced into the automotive industry.
Autonomous driving is a new tech that is aimed at making vehicles ‘smart’ enough to drive themselves without the help of a human being.
Part of autonomous driving can already be found in the cruise control feature implemented by the German automaker, Audi.
Using about 30 control sensors, the cruise control feature works by providing information to the vehicle about its surroundings through the sensors.
It can detect if there is any vehicle that is traveling ahead of you so that the vehicle will adjust the speed of your car automatically to avoid a collision. The cruise control uses two radar systems that allow your vehicle to maneuver itself around other vehicles in traffic.
However, you can still make changes to the acceleration of the car if you choose to. Other vehicle makers like BMW are making use of the cruise control system to park vehicles by themselves without the driver’s input.
There are self-parking systems that are also under development by tech giant Google which will be making use of remote driving technology coupled with sensors that will be placed on the roof.
This feature would be compromised even if you carried luggage on the roof of the vehicle. A 3D map of the vehicle’s immediate surroundings is created with the help of the lasers.
This then helps to guide the vehicle when it is in autonomous mode. The autonomous feature will become part of almost every vehicle in some years to come as its development continues with the constant advancement of technology.
Safety
Technology is also being used in the automotive industry to increase the safety of passengers.
Cameras that are placed around the vehicles aid drivers in checking their surroundings while they are parking or moving the vehicle near a place where they cannot see ahead properly.
They also help drivers to spot hidden objects that may be out of their line of sight. Sensors such as tire pressure sensors, lane sensors, and collision control sensors all help to prevent the vehicle from getting involved in an accident. Vehicles also now offer internet connections to their passengers.
Up to 7 internet-capable devices can connect to the vehicle’s internet at a time. These are part of the technological inputs that are going into vehicles as the world gradually changes into a digital one.
Predictive Technology
Vehicles through the aid of technology now can discern voice commands and act according to the driver having to press anything.
Computers on board the vehicles keep track of the vehicles’ functions and notify the driver as soon as anything needs are looked at.
The windshield of vehicles can also be turned into a screen for displaying useful information.
This can be done with the Augmented Reality Dashboard. It allows the driver to view important information through a HUD.
The driver can view information such as gas mileage, vehicle speed, weather, and RPM as well as a whole lot of others.
It can also help drivers follow navigation maps without having to take their eyes off the road ahead of them.
Solved Pollution And Emissions
Vehicles have now become cheaper to buy and the demand for them all over the world is at an all-time high.
This means the amount of emissions and air pollution has also gone up as the by-product of the fuel burned by these vehicles are released out into the atmosphere and these are harmful to human life.
Hybrid vehicles, which rely on a lot of technology, are also gradually making their way into the industry.
This move is spearheaded by electric vehicle maker, Tesla. This will help vehicle users to reduce the amount of pollution into the air as the number of combustion engine vehicles on the road will reduce.
Electric vehicles are gradually getting popular and more people are taking to them as time goes on.
Electric cars are expected to take up a sizable percentage of the total number of vehicles on the road by 2025 and eventually dominate the vehicle population by 2035.
These are some of the few ways through which technology is changing the automotive industry and the world as a whole. Technology has had an impact on almost everything in the world.
As time goes on, we will be seeing a lot more technology-inspired artifacts and inventions.
