Infotainment without limits - The latest news from the Siemens VDO Development Department

Siemens VDO Automotive has not only developed a new infrastructure, with which future infotainment systems will be able to be kept continually up-to-date throughout the life of the vehicle. The company is also investing heavily in research in this field in order to bring new functions to the market that offer the driver more comfort and safety in the automobile.

In the navigation system of the future, a camera constantly films the environment in front of the automobile. Using computers, the route information is then integrated into the video image. To do this, the computer compares the recorded images with the stored street information and then displays the route on the video image. This "Augmented Reality" process is not enough for the developers at Siemens VDO, however: Integration into a head-up display will be possible in the future as well. This enables the driver to keep his eye on the traffic and at the same time see where he has to turn off.

It will also be easier to keep up with the latest news in the car: targeted information exchange is already standard at home and in the office. We look at our favorite news pages on the Web and know all about our specialist subject and the general news. This is not yet the case in the automobile. The developers at Siemens VDO are therefore working on a "Personal News Presenter" for the automobile. According to the personal preferences, this downloads the latest news from a server and reads it out to the driver using voice synthesis software developed by Siemens.

The developers at Siemens VDO have come up with a comfortable solution for contact between drivers: a small addition to the infotainment system's hardware and software and "Car-Buddies" can be created. Just as messenger systems on the Internet notify you when friends are online, it will be possible in future to see where your friends are at any moment - as long as they consent of course. In this way there is nothing to stop spontaneous or planned meetings in an unknown location. This technology is already almost routine for transport professionals, although in another form: Siemens VDO already offers this as Tracking & Tracing for fleet management in professional goods transport.

More communication should also be possible between automobile and home. With simple voice commands, the infotainment system can check whether the front door really has been locked and that no windows are open. Energy and money can be saved without loss of comfort by networking the domestic heating or air-conditioning system to the automobile. If, after a holiday, the automobile notifies home that it will be arriving soon, the heating or air-conditioning system can be activated automatically.

Finally, future navigation systems will contribute to preventing accidents. In many vehicles, a rain sensor has already been integrated, which ensures that the windshield wipers are activated as the rain starts. Better networking with the infotainment system in conjunction with a system for recognizing traffic signs will allow, for example, automatic warnings if there are weather-related speed restrictions, also with a corresponding display on the navigation screen.

The possibilities for a future infotainment system are far from being exhausted. Vehicles with the infotainment platform TLA developed by Siemens VDO can be adjusted to the individual wishes of the driver as certified new functions from other software developers can also be integrated into a vehicle. With all new developments, Siemens VDO Automotive's ergonomics experts check that operating safety is also taken into account.