Advancements in Automotive ElectronicsJORDAN YANDEAU

Why this topic is interesting to me.

I have always been interested in cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc., so I would like to see where the technology for them is going.

Connected cars

http://embedded-computing.com/articles/the-car-its-about-integration/

Article author: Georg Doll, VP of Automotive Solutions at Wind River. Wind River provides embedded software for intelligent software systems.

Doing the research: Car companies, looking for competitive gains over rivals.

All about cutting complexity of systems, to reduce time and cost of testing. Good ideas come to light sooner, bad ideas fail quicker, and costs for companies are greatly reduced. All of this to give the consumers cars on the cutting edge of technology and to make the integrated systems run better and quicker. The number of ECUs in cars has doubled the last 10 years, and the average car now has over 100 ECUs. Some cars have more lines of code than an f-35 fighter jet. The challenge now is to reduce the number of separate ECUs without reducing usefulness and functionality.

Command center

http://articles.sae.org/13224/

Authors: This article was written for Automotive Engineering by KPIT's Ravi Pandit, Chairman & Group CEO, and Omkar Panse, AVP, Infotainment Practice.

Researching: Car manufacturers, SAE International

Cars have increasing levels of technology and connectivity, and as such are prone to viruses and malware. This is due to cars being connected to the internet, and soon even connected to one another. Cars nowadays can bring in, process, and send out data. The big issue is that the technology isn’t good at checking data coming in for malware and viruses. One solution is to make a gateway that checks data coming in and going out for malicious software. Manufacturers are going to have to be more careful to make sure technology being put in cars is safe and secure.

Must have technology in the future

http://www.ecnmag.com/articles/2014/03/what-will-be-must-have-automotive-infotainment-next-five-years

Authors: Kevin Keryk, Avnet Electronics Marketing, microzed.org, Giorgio Scuro, General Manager, Automotive Embedded Solutions at Micron Technology, Tim Lau, Director of Automotive Connectivity, Broadcom Corporation

Research: Car Manufacturers, Car stereo/interior modifying companies.

Cars will become extensions of our computers and smartphones, and become completely integrated with your everyday life. Your car will be connected to your online profiles and services, and will be directly accessible. Cars will also have full autodrive systems in them, and built in dashboard computers will be in all vehicles. Cars will be able to communicate to the driver and passengers, to other cars, and to the roads themselves. All of this is expected to be run by onboard Ethernet systems, for easy security and cheaper prices for the technology.

Where is all this heading towards?

Most research and development for automotive electronics and other automotive technology is being put towards interconnectivity between a car and its occupants, other cars, the road, and to the internet. Soon, cars will really be big self driving computers, and having a car for purely point a to point b driving will be as easy as ever, as it will be easier to other things while in your car, such as checking emails and social media sites. I think this is a good direction to go, although as a car guy, I do want there to still be cars that exist for the joy of driving, not just a mobile office to get you from point a to point b. If I were to work on one thing myself. It would be the interconnectivity technology, as I do believe that it is a great idea and is the future. There aren’t any real ethical issues with any of the technology be developed here, and there never really should be. The interesting and important thing I’ve learned researching this is that all of this amazing technology and all of this innovations are all really close to being put into production, at least on luxury cars until prices naturally drop.

Interesting and topical videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxaT2wZDK1U