These days, with smartphones being nearly ubiquitous, especially here in the Chicago area, it seems as if drivers are sometimes more fixated on their phones than on the road. Since this is obviously a safety hazard, the engineers over at Land Rover headquarters are looking to design ways to integrate the smartphone with Land Rover vehicles. The new technology, known as Smart Assistant, will be able to recognize the driver, predict how warm they like the seat, and even prompt them to stop by the florist for an anniversary.
The main goal of Land Rover when creating this exciting new technology will be to make the vehicle almost like an extension of the driver. According to Anthony Harper, head of research at Land Rover, “In terms of what the customer will experience, it's more a feeling of the car becoming a much smarter and a more alive thing to interact with.” Smart Assistant will achieve this goal by using cameras to recognize the driver's face, along with new technology that will pick up certain signals from smartphones in order to adjust the climate and driving settings for the driver.
This technology is just the beginning of Smart Assistant's capabilities. In the future, the car will be more than a mode of transport. Land Rover wishes to develop Smart Assistant into a system that recognizes drivers' wishes and preferences. Here at your local Land Rover dealer, Northbrook and Winnetka residents are sure to appreciate this new technology when it is debuted in Land Rover vehicles, such as the 2015 Land Rover LR2, in the near future.