The virtual intelligence industry has come a long way from the tack back applications that took the world by a storm in the last decade. Today, we have virtual assistants that are becoming impressive by the day due to their superior performance. However, this rise in the popularity of virtual assistants is not very surprising. Virtual assistant integrated vehicles and transportation app is finally turning into reality.
How about the fact that they can perform almost any household task with just a simple voice command? Today, we have a range of virtual assistants that goes by the names of Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant. These VAs is soon deemed to accomplish more complex tasks than just turning on lights and switching it off, in the near future. In fact, the developers say that they may soon turn out to be a staple in both your car and home.
We can definitely see a future where a virtual assistant can control your entire life from one central hub. You can then tell your virtual assistant on board to pump up the heat at home or in the oven. Just when you pull up to your home, you will find that your garage doors are opening up. Isn’t that life quite simple and envy-worthy? Well, the time is not far when you will have Virtual assistants all over the place.
In this blog, we shall discuss virtual assistant integrated vehicles and how they are changing the automotive industry.
The Role of Voice Control
The voice control in the form that we see today first made an entry in cars in 1990. Then, it was mainly used to command antiquated car phones. Now, 20 years later, voice control has become a central entity to virtual assistant technology. In the near future, we can expect the artificial intelligence (AI) to take virtual assistants to a surprising new level, where you do not even need a voice. There will soon be cars that react to your moods, and mood swings!!
Let us take the example of the brand new Mercedes-Benz S-Class. It has a novel feature that is called energizing Comfort feature. It can create a tailored atmosphere by bringing together music, lighting, and massage functions in the seat. You can use the same voice control to select the atmosphere that complements your mood. In the future, we can expect your car to sense that you have had a very tiring day at work and set the mood accordingly. This can include turning on soothing music for your drive and adjusting the lighting in your living room for you when you finally get home.
Who Is Building Virtual Assistants?
There are the technology biggies like Amazon, Apple, and Google who are definitely seeing virtual assistants as the future. The car manufactures back this thought too. A fact that supports this speculation is that every BMW that is coming off the line comes equipped with Amazon Alexa, and it is said that they will offer Microsoft's Cortana soon. When these two VAs are used together, they will offer everything from right from home management to office productivity.
Car manufacturers like Volkswagen, Ford, SEAT, and Skoda are all into making plans to integrate Alexa. The new kid to join the block is Toyota.
The OS giants like Android and Apple are also continuing their efforts towards auto-integration. Apple has couples Siri system with CarPlay, which is a subscription-based service. On the other hand, Google Assistant is now there in Android Auto.
Though Amazon, Apple, and Google are some of the world's biggest companies, they are finding it difficult to get a free run at the automotive virtual assistant market.
Hyundai and Kia have developed SoundHound. Its purpose is to create an AI-powered Intelligent Personal Assistant and that is expected to hit the streets by the end of this year in test form. Post that, it is supposed to go into production vehicles next year. Tesla is also joining the bandwagon and is working on its own AI system for self-driving and other systems.
There is endless potential for virtual assistants. This will turn out to be true when autonomous vehicles can drive cars for you. When this happens, your car’s cockpit will turn into an entertainment and multimedia center.
What do In-Car Virtual Assistants Do Today?
The VA can perform a range of functions that this includes opening the garage door when you are pulling up and playing netbooks of your choice. The car manufacturer Hyundai wants to let drivers use voice activation to modify the air conditioning, lock doors, and start the car. The technology to enable these functions are still in the developing stage.
When we can finally get the VA to do the driving, we will be able to make dinner plans, get movie tickets, do some online shopping, compose some emails, and get the house ready for our return, all while being in the car.
In-Car Smart Speakers Could Be an Interim Step
Let us ponder over the in-between state of the basic in-car computers of today and the all powered AI-fuelled virtual assistants of the future. Well, the answer will be the smart speaker. Car manufacturers are fighting over each other to install smart speakers that display similar capabilities to the Amazon Echo.
In fact, the best speaker available in the market will be the Amazon Echo Dot, which is essentially the same unit you have in your home. This system works along with the car's WiFi. Apart from this, you can use a SIM card with the system and insert it into your car's USB port.
Conclusion - we are witnessing a new Era in Automotive and Automation
We are living in these exciting times when a big revolution is underway in the automotive industry. Yes, we are talking about the virtual assistant that is deemed to be a total revolution. The whole concept of driving we know today will turn topsy and turvy when the car takes on the wheel and we get to spend our commuting time on more enjoyable and productive pursuits.
Yes, I agree that our in-car experience today is still largely limited to a great extent on the basic smart speaker setup. Just like how the capabilities of smart assistants grew over the years, we can definitely see Virtual assistant integrated vehicles becoming a part of our lives even when we leave the house.
Knowing about technology stacks and costs in developing logistics and transportation apps. are necessary if you are planning to start a transportation business.