Autonomous Cars

Automobile manufacturers around the world are working hard at developing operational autonomous cars. The self-driving automobile design and implementation are moving along at a rapid speed. Apple has designed an autonomous car but is unwilling to get into the car business directly. They are working with a number of automobile manufacturers who have an interest in what Apple has designed.

Recently it was thought that Hyundai and Apple had come to an agreement, but that apparently did no workout. As a result, other car manufacturers are having discussions with Apple to see if something can be worked out. BMW seems to be the most interested at the moment, but that could change. If Apple and a major car manufacturer can come to an agreement, it is possible that Apple’s ideas on an autonomous car may come into being. Stay tuned.

Another possible combination with Volkswagen and Microsoft. That partnership is envisioning the possibilities of viewing a car as a source of data. With significant amounts of data from operating cars, machine learning algorithms could produce valuable data for the car industry.

The Ford Motor Company is of the opinion at the moment the self-driving cars will take time to develop. The first examples will most likely be geo-fenced, that is to say, limited in the area in which it can operate.

And in China, self-driving cars are predicted to be on the highways in 3-5 years. They may only operate on major highway systems, but even that will be a giant step forward.

We will see what happens on these and other ideas for the autonomous car. With something as new and unique as an autonomous car, ideas will merge into a vehicle that may change the future of transportation as we know it.

The Internet of Things

One of the latest uses of the Internet of Things (IoT) is in the welding process of the Audi automobile. The car contains 5,000 welds done on each car completed by 2,500 autonomous robot arms. The company wanted to know that the welds were completed to preset quality standards. They placed IoT-type sensors in the robots that did the welding which could provide the company with data on the electric voltage, configuration of the welds, health of the electrodes, and quality of the weld. Audi partnered with Intel to develop an algorithm to process the data gathered. The use of Internet of Things sensors has provided the company with real-time data on the quality of the welding processes. In addition, it cut costs by 30%-50%. The IoT combined with an algorithm helped to produce high-quality automobiles at the Audi factory in Neckarsulm Germany

In the health care industry, IoT sensors are used in and on patients. It allows medical doctors and technicians to identify issues rapidly. IoT combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming telemedicine, patient monitoring, and electronic health records. The assistance provided by IoT and AI is allowing medical providers to spend more time with the patient with more reliable diagnoses and accurate follow-up procedures.

According to Ishfaq Ahmad in Discover Internet of Things, Editorial, Inaugural Issue published in Discover Internet of Things, Volume 1, Article 1 (2021),

…the IoT revolution is transforming the entire spectrum of computing-based services. A new wave of rapid infrastructure is sweeping the globe, encompassing virtually everything digital ranging from data centers, supercomputers clusters, embedded systems, servers, and networks to power grids, sensors, devices, appliances, mobile devices, and instruments”

IoT is just beginning to be recognized as a critically important part of the future in almost every process and service.