The automobile industry changes and develops in trends and fashions, just like any other industry. Technology is advancing at an incredible pace and trends are normally seen emerging along ‘early adopters’ and these are the ones to watch. It makes the future very exciting both for the industry and consumers. Here are some of the top trends seen this year:
Augmented Reality
Unlike virtual reality, augmented reality adds specific items to the current reality via technology. A good example of this AR feature is a smart head-up display in a vehicle. The aim of AR is to assist driver safety and is also applied in features like rear-facing cameras with park assist. AR could also be used for mechanics to see what a problem is without having to touch the car. Another useful application of AR would be to design and select different features for a vehicle without having to make a prototype, saving time and great cost.
Autonomous Vehicles
Different levels of autonomy will be appearing in almost every new car to roll off the production line. Self-parking, lane assist and adaptive cruise control will become as standard in almost every new car manufactured. While we’re not quite at the point of driverless cars taking over the roads just yet, the direction is definitely clear. Ford has plans to have mass-produced driverless cars on the road by 2021, with Google and Tesla following suit. While you can still enjoy the thrill of driving, choose a new car with Leicester Vehicle Leasing at http://leasing.totalmotion.co.uk/
3D Printing
Trends in the industry will also see 3D printing becoming more a part of mainstream basic construction. 3D printing offers a cheaper ways of building things which offers a real challenge to the current methods of mass car production. It would be fascinating to see cars that are made to withstand one crash and then have the outer body replaced quickly and cheaply. Currently, vehicles are expensively designed and produced to withstand up to five crashes and last for up to seven years. This opens up a whole new concept of keeping a car for a lifetime but 3D printing a new body whenever we need one.
Vehicle Cybersecurity
Making our vehicles safer is set to become much easier with the help of artificial intelligence. Cars are becoming more like moving networks and as such can use anti-virus software just like a laptop or computer. This kind of system can identify threats and aim to isolate any new unknown threats. It will need to be constantly adapting technology to identify threats as and when they occur. Cybercrime is always adapting and finding new ways to cause havoc.
This is where machine learning comes into its own. AI lets computers learn without being programmed and it gets smarter as it’s exposed to new information. AI of the future will adapt, defend itself and learn to respond to new threats without the need for programming in any details from humans. This is an exciting area to watch and no doubt, we’ll begin seeing it appear in the industry sooner rather than later.
