Students asked to develop apps for Ford Sync system

[Bozita]

Last Updated: May 13. 2010 1:07AM
Students asked to develop apps for Ford Sync system
Automaker reaches out to colleges to keep its voice-activated system ahead of the curve
Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News


Dearborn -- Ford Motor Co. is asking university students to help it develop applications for future versions of its popular Sync system.

Developed in partnership with Microsoft Corp., Sync allows motorists to control their connected cellular telephone or music player, as well as many onboard vehicle systems, with simple voice commands.

The latest version, unveiled earlier this year, also enables drivers to control apps on their smartphones or similar devices. But given the rapid advances in social networking, cloud computing and other areas, Ford is finding it a challenge to stay ahead of the curve.

"What we are trying to do here is look at the other new opportunities we have ahead of us," said Venkatesh Prasad, leader of the infotronics team in Ford's research and advanced engineering division.

"We could do all this in-house, but we realized very quickly that task would not be scalable."

So, Ford began reaching out to area colleges, including the University of Michigan. The automaker helped put together a 12-week course taught by T.J. Giuli, a Ford engineer and visiting scholar at U-M.

He challenged students to develop their own cloud computing apps for an advanced version of Ford's system.

Ford engineers helped pick a winning team and the company is sending its members to the Maker Faire, an annual high-tech event in Silicon Valley, with their program installed on a new Ford Fiesta.

The winning team developed an app called "Caravan Track" that allows people in different cars to see where each other is in real time on each vehicle's navigation screen. It also shows how fast each car is going, what their fuel level is and allows drivers to send pre-recorded messages to each other -- all using voice commands.

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From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100513/AUTO01/5130374/Students-asked-to-develop-Ford-Sync-apps#ixzz0nmgD4DdG

[MadHound]

1. All I want is a car.

I don't want a computer, I don't want OnStar, I don't want GPS, I don't want a phone, I don't want an onboard blackbox that records my every driving minute.

I just want a car that gets me from point A to point B safely, sanely and with a minimum of fuel consumption.

My current car is now twelve years old, and given the fact that all this shit is becoming standard equipment, I think I will keep it going as long as possible, preferably the rest of my life.

Either that or dig out my '49 DeSoto and make that my daily driver.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

2. because people just aren't distracted enough,

There was a great video about 15 years ago of Bill Gates damn near driving an SUV into the pacific while showing off his in-car computer to a journalist whilst driving, we don't need this.

[AdHocSolver]

3. It is amazing how people abandon their privacy for essentially useless gadgets.

This sounds like a high tech tracking device designed by "Big Brother".

[Indenturedebtor]

4. "We quickly realized that foreign programmers weren't up to it, but still didn't want to pay

a living wage... so we figured why not get some interns to do it for free? Genius right?"

[MkapX]

5. Bad yet good

Unfortunately as technology gets more and more advance it gets harder and harder to hide our privacy. This is not all bad cause technology does make it easier to find the car theft, kidnapper, terrorist etc. But at the same time it increases the chances of id theft, malicious behavior against individuals as well as when companies start selling information about your personal life to the highest bidder it brings fears that another effort of the CIA or privatize military companies spy on ordinary americans who take part in anti war or any other anti status quo movement. Bottom line it can be used both for evil or good...it's like the force user in star wars. He or she could use it for good and be a jedi or for bad and be a sith