Scale

June 4, 2014, 4:02 am

≪ Previous: Crisper, clearer in-car communication — Roger that

Guest post by Matt Watson, TI product line manager, on the new Jacinto 6 Eco processor

Matt Watson

Whenever I hear someone mention the word “scale,” several images come to mind. The first one is the thing I avoid stepping on for fear of its shocking readout. The second is what happens to my tender, east Texas skin whenever I venture to high altitudes — which is anything higher than a Houston overpass.

Since my colleagues at QNX were nice enough to let me post on their blog, I should avoid pursuing those activities further for fear of never being invited back. [Matt, you are *always* welcome here — Ed.] Instead, I’ll focus on how TI and QNX, together, are bringing incredible performance scalability to our customers in the automotive infotainment space through the new DRA72x “Jacinto 6 Eco” processor. This processor builds on the successful foundation of the “Jacinto 6” family and offers significant value to a very wide range of in-vehicle systems. This value takes three forms:

software reusability and hardware pin-compatibility with “Jacinto 6,” resulting in faster time to market
the ability to leverage the same integration capabilities as “Jacinto 6” for a lower BOM
scalability to bring elements and features of high-end infotainment down to the entry-to-mid segment in a cost-effective manner

QNX and TI have been collaborating for over 12 years, specifically on the “Jacinto 6” platform for more than 2 years, to help bring industry-leading performance, integration, and scalability to the automotive market. Due to its similarity with “Jacinto 6”, “Jacinto 6 Eco” allows customers to leverage a mature base of TI silicon and QNX software solutions to hit the ground driving.

Jacinto 6 Eco running the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment and Crank Storyboard Suite

We’ll see you on the road! To view more blogs from the TI team, please be sure to check out Behind The Wheel.

Editor's note — Here's a little more about Matt:

Matt Watson is the product manager for the TI audio and automotive infotainment processors at Texas Instruments. At TI, Matt has also held roles managing software development for audio, multimedia, and infotainment groups over the last 12 years. Prior to joining TI, Matt held positions at Dolby Laboratories (focusing on low-bit rate audio coding) and Motorola Semiconductor (developing software for floating-point audio digital signal processors).

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A cool (and connected) cluster

June 5, 2014, 7:08 am

≫ Next: Hitting the road with CNET on Cars

≪ Previous: Scale

"The more we get connected,
Connected, connected,
The more we get connected,
The happier we’ll be."

Okay, I'll admit it, that's a little over the top. But even if connectivity can't make you happy, it can still breathe a great deal of enjoyment and productivity into your life. And when you build connectivity into devices that have previously stood alone, you open the door to all kinds of exciting possibilities. Case in point: the new digital instrument cluster for the QNX technology concept car.

Here's the cluster at a glance — click to see a bigger version:

Admit it: you'd love to wrap your hands around that steering wheel. I know I would. The Mercedes CLA45 is a sweet ride, and it inspired the QNX concept team to pull out all the stops when designing the new cluster with our partner Rightware, a specialist in UI tools for cars.

Four-point check
Okay, let's hop in and take a closer look. But before we put the car in gear, did your driving instructor ever tell you to do a four-point check? You know, where you make sure your lights, brakes, and other systems are working properly? You do remember to do that, don't you? The cluster makes the task a little easier by checking lights, tire pressures, fluids, and the HVAC system automatically:

Ease off the pedal, buddy
Time to put the car in gear. But before we do, let me tell you about the Plymouth safety speedometer. Designed to curb speeding, it alerted the driver whenever he or she leaned too hard on the gas. In theory, it was a great idea. In practice, it wasn't. You see, the year was 1939. And given the limitations of 1939 technology, the Plymouth safety speedometer couldn't take driving conditions or the local speed limit into account. So the speedometer always displayed warnings at the same speeds, no matter what the speed limit.

Connectivity to the rescue! Some modern navigation systems include information on local speed limits. By connecting the digital instrumental cluster to the navigation system in the car's head unit, the concept team was able to pull this information and display it in real time on the cluster, creating a modern (and much more useful) equivalent of Plymouth's 1939 invention.

Look at the image below. You'll see the local speed limit surrounded by a thick red circle, alerting the driver that they are breaking the limit — the fulfillment of an idea that has been 75 years in the making. Mind you, this isn't the only information that the cluster pulls from the head unit. It can also display turn-by-turn directions, trip information, album art, and other content normally relegated to the center display:

Should you answer?
Oh, hold on, the cluster is alerting us to an incoming call. You can ignore it, or you can answer by pushing a button on the steering wheel. And because this is the QNX technology concept car, it's no ordinary phone call. The car is equipped with QNX Acoustics for Voice, which supports Wideband Plus speech to deliver almost four times the bandwidth of a standard narrowband call. Translation: The person on the far end of call sounds like they're sitting right next to you.

Looking back
Okay, it's been a great drive, but time to head home. And in this case, home is the QNX garage. The garage doors are pretty narrow, and you need to back in carefully, so it's great to know that the cluster also provides a convenient window for the car's rear-view camera:

Meanwhile, in the real world...
Don't make the mistake of thinking this is a Buck Rogers scenario. Because the same combination of QNX and Rightware technology is already powering innovative systems like the Audi virtual cockpit. If you haven't yet seen the Audi system in action, check it out:

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Hitting the road with CNET on Cars

June 18, 2014, 6:39 am

≫ Next: Just add jelly

≪ Previous: A cool (and connected) cluster

Derek Kuhn

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of Brian Cooley and his CNET on Cars show. Brian brings energy, insight, and humor to his coverage of cars and car technology — he's a joy to watch. My son and I like the show so much that it has become a ritual to watch the latest episodes together.

Over the years, Brian has gotten behind the wheel of several QNX technology concept cars. For example, at 2013 CES, he got up close and personal with our concept car based on a Bentley Continental. And just last month, he took our latest concept car, based on a Mercedes-Benz CLA45, for a drive through the streets of San Francisco.

While I was in SF, Brian and I discussed the rise of 4G connectivity in vehicles and the benefits it will bring — including a better user experience and the ability to keep the car fresh with over-the-air updates. Brian included our conversation in his recent segment on 4G in the car — check out the video, below. The episode begins with a review of the new Audi A3, which, I am proud to say, also uses an infotainment system powered by QNX technology.

What are your thoughts on 4G connectivity in the car? I would love to hear from you.

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Just add jelly

June 23, 2014, 8:10 am

≫ Next: (My latest) top 12 articles on robot cars

≪ Previous: Hitting the road with CNET on Cars

I like toast. I also like peanut butter. But you know what I really like? The two of them together. Not only does the combination taste great, but making it is easy: all I need is a knife, a toaster, and a plate. Heck, sometimes, I even skip the plate!

Why am I mentioning this? Well, when designing an embedded system, you often need to source third-party hardware or software components. And when doing so, you should always make sure they follow the toast-and-peanut-butter rule: work together out of the box, with little or no fuss. That way, you can focus on adding your own special jelly and transform your peanut-butter toast into a one-of-a-kind PB&J that customers can't get enough of. (Man, I should never write when I'm hungry!)

Evan-Amos, Wikimedia Commons

Seriously, there is no better way to jump-start an embedded project than to choose components that already work in concert. Which is the idea behind today's announcement between Cadence and QNX Software Systems. In a nutshell, they have announced that QNX Acoustics for Active Noise Control (ANC) has been ported to the Cadence Tensilica HiFi Audio/Voice DSP core.

If you're unfamiliar with QNX Acoustics for ANC, it's a software solution for reducing unwanted engine "boom" inside passenger vehicles. Compact and efficient, it can run on a processor or DSP core in the vehicle's infotainment system or audio amplifier, eliminating the dedicated hardware of conventional ANC solutions.

According to Peter McCarthy of QNX, “modern fuel-saving techniques, such as deactivating cylinders when engine load is light, can cause irritating boom noise that distracts the driver. QNX Acoustics for ANC generates targeted anti-noise over the car’s audio system to cancel out this boom for a more enjoyable ride. By combining QNX Acoustics for ANC with the widely deployed Cadence Tensilica HiFi Audio/Voice DSP core, system designers can reduce engine noise while also eliminating the costs associated with designing and prototyping a custom hardware controller module.”

For more information, read the press release and check out previous posts on QNX Acoustics for ANC.

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(My latest) top 12 articles on robot cars

June 25, 2014, 7:28 am

≫ Next: QNX-powered Audi MMI framework to support Android Auto

≪ Previous: Just add jelly

Human error accounts for 9 out of 10 vehicle accidents. That alone is a compelling argument for building more autonomy into cars. After all, a robot car won't get moody or distracted, but will remain alert at all times. Moreover, it will respond quickly and consistently to dangerous situations, if programmed correctly. The problem, of course, is that it will respond, andyou may not always be happy with the decisions it makes.

For instance, what happens if 5 children playing tag suddenly run in front of your robot car — should it opt for the greater good and avoid them, even if that puts you in mortal danger? Or should it hand over control and let you decide? Some would argue that such questions are moot, for the simple reason that autonomous cars may significantly reduce accidents overall. Nonetheless, these questions go the heart of how we see ourselves in relation to the machines we use every day. They demand discussion.

Speaking of discussion, I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of these articles. I don't agree with everything they say, but they certainly got me thinking. I think they'll do the same for you.

The Psychology Of Anthropomorphic Robots (Fast Company) — Convincing people to trust a self-driving car is surprisingly easy: just give it a cute face and a warm voice.
The Robot Car of Tomorrow May Just Be Programmed to Hit You (WIRED) — In a situation where a robot car must hit either of two vehicles, should it hit the vehicle with the better crash rating? If so, wouldn't that penalize people for buying safer cars? A look at why examining edge cases is important in evaluating crash-avoidance algorithms.
The Ethics of Autonomous Cars (The Atlantic) — Will your robot car know when to follow the law — and when to break it? And who gets to decide how your car will decide?
IEET Readers Divided on Robot Cars That Sacrifice Drivers’ Lives (IEET) — In response to the above story, the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies asked its readers whether a robot car should sacrifice the driver's life to save the lives of others. Not everyone was convinced.
How to Make Driverless Cars Behave (TIME) — Did you know that Stanford’s CARS group has already developed tools to help automakers code morality into their cars? Yeah, I didn’t either. On the other hand, if driverless cars lead to far fewer accidents overall, will they even need embedded morality?
When 'Driver' Goes the Way of 'Computer' (The Atlantic) — Many of us imagine that autonomous vehicles will look and feel a lot like today’s cars. But guess what: once the human driver is out of the picture, long-standing assumptions about how cars are designed go out the proverbial window.
The end of driving (as we know it) (Fortune) — In Los Angeles, people drive 300 million miles every day. Now imagine if they could spend some or all of that time doing something else.
A Path Towards More Sustainable Personal Mobility (Stanford Energy Club) — If you find the Los Angeles statistic startling, consider this: every year in the US, light duty vehicles travel three trillion passenger miles — that’s 3x10¹². Autonomous vehicles could serve as one element in a multi-pronged approach to reduce this number and help the environment.
How Shared Vehicles Are Changing the Way We Get Around (StreetsBlog USA) — If access is more important than ownership, will fleets of sharable autonomous cars translate into fewer cars on the road? The answer is yes, according to some research.
Driving revenues: Autonomous cars (EDN) — According to Lux Research, software accounts for a large fraction of the revenue opportunity in autonomous cars. Moreover, the car OS could be a differentiating factor for auto manufacturers.
Autonomous Vehicles Will Bring the Rise of 'Spam Cars' (Motherboard) — Though it would be a long, long time before this ever happened, the idea isn’t as goofy as you might think.

You can find my previous top 12 robo-car articles here.

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QNX-powered Audi MMI framework to support Android Auto

June 26, 2014, 5:12 am

≫ Next: A matter of urgency: preparing for ISO 26262 certification

≪ Previous: (My latest) top 12 articles on robot cars

This just in: Audi has announced that its Audi MMI mobile media application framework, which is built on the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment, will support the new Android Auto connectivity solution.

The new feature will allow drivers to access Android-device car apps using Audi MMI displays and controls, which Audi has optimized for safe and intuitive operation on the road.

Audi states that the MMI system will still maintain its compatibility with other smartphones. Moreover, drivers will be able to switch between the Android view and Audi infotainment functions, as desired.

Audi is a long-standing customer of QNX Software Systems. Audi systems based on QNX technology include the recent Audi Virtual Cockpit and Audi Connect with Google Earth.

Audi plans to introduce Android Auto support in all-new models launched in 2015. For the complete story on Audi support for Android Auto, read the Audi press release.

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A matter of urgency: preparing for ISO 26262 certification

June 30, 2014, 6:47 am

≫ Next: Nothing semi about this HEMI

≪ Previous: QNX-powered Audi MMI framework to support Android Auto

Yoshiki Chubachi

Guest post by Yoshiki Chubachi, automotive business development manager for QNX Software Systems, Japan

Two weeks ago in Tokyo, QNX Software Systems sponsored an ISO 26262 seminar hosted by IT Media MONOist, a Japanese information portal for engineers. This was the fourth MONOist seminar to focus on the ISO 26262 functional safety standard, and the theme of the event conveyed an unmistakable sense of urgency: “You can’t to afford to wait any longer: how you should prepare for ISO 26262 certification”.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Pak, a representative of MONOist, noted that the number of attendees for this event increases every year. And, as the theme suggests, many engineers in the automotive community feel a strong need to get ready for ISO26262. In fact, registration filled up just three days after the event was announced.

The event opened with a keynote speech by Mr. Koyata of the Japan Automobile Research Institute (JARI), who spoke on functional safety as a core competency for engineers. A former engineer at Panasonic, Mr. Koyata now works as an ISO 26262 consultant at JARI. In his speech, he argued that every automotive developer should embrace knowledge of ISO 26262 and that automakers and Tier 1 suppliers should adopt a functional "safety culture." Interestingly, his argument aligns with what Chris Hobbs and Yi Zheng of QNX advocate in their paper, “10 truths about building safe embedded software systems.” My Koyata also discussed the difference between safety and ‘Hinshitu (Quality)” which is a strong point of Japan industry.

Next up were presentations by the co-sponsor DNV Business Assurance Japan. The talks focused on safety concepts and architecture as well as on metrics for hardware safety design for ISO 26262.

I had the opportunity to present on software architecture and functional safety, describing how the QNX microkernel architecture can provide an ideal system foundation for automotive systems with functional safety requirements. I spoke to a number of attendees after the seminar, and they all recognized the need to build an ISO 26262 process, but didn’t know how to start. The need, and opportunity, for education is great.

Yoshiki presenting at the MONOist ISO 26262 seminar. Source: MONOist

The event ended with a speech by Mr. Shiraishi of Keio University. He has worked on space satellite systems and offered some interesting comparisons between the functional safety of space satellites and automotive systems.

Safety and reliability go hand in hand. “Made in Japan” is a brand widely known for its reliability. Although Japan is somewhat behind when it comes to awareness for ISO 26262 certification, I see a great potential for it to be the leader in automotive safety. Japanese engineers take pride in the reliability of products they build, and this mindset can be extended to the new generation of functional safety systems in automotive.

Additional reading

QNX Unveils New OS for Automotive Safety
Architectures for ISO 26262 systems with multiple ASIL requirements (whitepaper)
Protecting Software Components from Interference in an ISO 26262 System (whitepaper)
Ten Truths about Building Safe Embedded Software Systems (whitepaper)

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Nothing semi about this HEMI

July 3, 2014, 8:57 am

≫ Next: The Drive to 2015 CES — First stop: Connected Car Conference

≪ Previous: A matter of urgency: preparing for ISO 26262 certification

I rarely speak about any car in particular — I'm more interested in trends than trim levels — but allow me to make an exception. Because Chrysler has just announced a new Challenger equipped with a jaw-droppingly powerful HEMI V8.

How powerful, you say? Try 707 hp. Which is more than enough to make the Challenger SRT Hellcat the fastest, most powerful muscle car in history.

I haven't seen this car in person, but already, I'm in love with it. Which is weird, because I've been a tree-hugger since before the term existed. Can a person like myself who screams at colleagues for not recycling Coke cans honestly get excited over a car like this?

You bet. Because I prefer to live in a world where humans (and car makers) have latitude to indulge themselves. A world where the lion of fantasy can lie down with the lamb of environmentalism. A world where most vehicles are as green as grass, but where some can still roar to life with red-hot, unadulterated power.

So, tell me, does that sound schizoid? Or just well-balanced?

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The Drive to 2015 CES — First stop: Connected Car Conference

July 8, 2014, 6:52 am

≫ Next: The palindromic standard

≪ Previous: Nothing semi about this HEMI

Derek Kuhn

The 2015 International CES show is just 6 months away. As a preview of what we’ll see in January, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) recently held its annual CEWeek, which included a special half-day event focused on the connected car and its influence on consumers’ lives.

Chaired by industry veteran Doug Newcomb, the Connected Car Conference (C3) explored some of the most pressing trends for connected automotive technology, including distracted driving, the Internet of Things, and the possibility of a self-driving future.

I took part in the panel discussion on safeguarding driver privacy. Moderated by Roger Lanctot of Strategy Analytics, the panel also included representatives from AVG Technologies, Covisint, HARMAN, and the Intelligent Car Coalition.

The panel covered both security and privacy — two different but intimately related topics — and sparked a lively exchange that ran the gamut from key fobs and VIN numbers to software practices and regulatory agencies. Check it out:

The countdown to 2015 CES has officially started. I’ll see you in Vegas — in 183 days!

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The palindromic standard

July 14, 2014, 7:42 am

≫ Next: Static analysis, functional safety, and why you should attend this webinar

≪ Previous: The Drive to 2015 CES — First stop: Connected Car Conference

The QNX OS for Automotive Safety was recently granted ISO 26262 certification. So why is that such a big deal? Allow me to explain.

When it comes to being hard to pronounce, ISO 26262 takes the cake among international safety standards. If you don’t believe me, just try to say “ISO 26262” ten times quickly, in any language.

You know what else is hard? Achieving compliance with ISO 26262. QNX Software Systems has just received its first ISO 26262 certificate from TUV Rheinland, so I can make that claim with a strong measure of confidence!

The certificate.

ISO 26262 is a new functional safety standard developed specifically for passenger vehicles. Published in 2011, it is based on the grand-daddy of functional safety standards, IEC 61508. Since its introduction, ISO 26262 has grabbed a lot of attention in the automotive industry. Why? Because rapid advancements in technology are presenting new safety challenges. The sophisticated hardware and software technologies now making their way into passenger vehicles may enable cool features, but they also stretch the concept of safety beyond mechanical parts. ISO 26262 is specifically developed to address the safety requirements of these electric and electronic components.

Due diligence
The ISO 26262 standard describes how safety functions must be addressed throughout the entire software lifecycle. This approach ensures that safety isn’t treated as an afterthought during final testing, but as a matter of due diligence in every stage of development. Apart from following functional safety processes, the software maker must continually ask questions such as these:

In what ways could my software fail?
If it does fail, how could it affect the safety of the overall system?
How can I mitigate the risk of failure?

These questions would sound familiar to any experienced safety engineer, but they might not be top of mind for many designers. Safety design imposes an extra dimension to a project that must be budgeted for, right from the start. In addition to the discipline and effort needed to develop any safety product, the ISO 26262 standard demands that you prove your product is safe.

Constructing the argument that the product complies with the standard, such as through building a safety case, is far from trivial. For instance, using methods like Goal Structuring Notation can help make a strong argument by giving some reason to the sea of documentation that serves as evidence for your safety claim. But it takes skill to wield the power of GSN to produce an effective, well-structured safety case.

In short, achieving ISO 26262 certification is a huge undertaking. But then, so is the importance of the ultimate goal: safer cars.

Again, for an inkling of how tough it is to get certified, just keep repeating the name of the standard without screwing up...

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Static analysis, functional safety, and why you should attend this webinar

July 15, 2014, 6:35 am

≫ Next: Talking safety in Novi

≪ Previous: The palindromic standard

Let's cut to the chase. Any webinar hosted by Chris Hobbs, a member of the safe systems team at QNX, is worth a listen. I honestly can't listen to the man for 5 minutes without learning something new. So if you're developing systems that must, or may need to, comply with the ISO 26262 functional safety standard, you owe it to yourself to attend the webinar that Chris will co-host this week:

Static Analysis' Role in Automotive Functional Safety

Thursday, July 17

10am PT, 1pm ET, 5pm UTC

Registration

As you may already know, ISO 26262 recommends static code analysis for ASILs B to D. And that's because static analysis can make a real contribution to functional safety — exactly the approach this webinar will explore. Topics will include:

• Functional safety and ISO 26262
• The balance between dynamic and static analysis
• How purpose-built tools can simply the qualification process

As an added bonus, Chris will be joined by co-host Steve Howard of Klocwork. Steve has over 15 years' experience in safety-critical and mission-critical software development, working with verification and validation tools.

Learn more about Chris, Steve, and the webinar here.

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Talking safety in Novi

July 16, 2014, 6:25 am

≫ Next: The lost concept car photos

≪ Previous: Static analysis, functional safety, and why you should attend this webinar

Grant Courville

Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in a panel at Telematics Update's Advanced Automotive Safety Conference in Novi, Michigan. A key theme of the panel was — you guessed it — safety.

The two-day event brought together automakers, suppliers, government representatives, research groups, integrators, analysts, and educational institutions to discuss the latest standards and innovations in automotive safety and V2X. The show covered all aspects of vehicle connectivity, as well as the relationship of big data and cloud connectivity to automotive security.

The themes of reliability, security, and safety were front and center in my panel, “Automated Vehicles: The Stepping Stone to Autonomous Driving.” The panel was chaired by IHS Automotive and included experts from DENSO, Ricardo Inc., and the National Advanced Driving Simulator. Everyone on the panel agreed that interoperability and standardization are critical to accelerating innovation, and that ADAS systems are paving the path to autonomous driving.

All in all, the show was an informative event that helped identify the next steps in automotive safety — a topic near and dear to the QNX auto team.

Grant Courville is director of product management at QNX Software Systems.

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The lost concept car photos

July 21, 2014, 7:04 am

≫ Next: Better safe than sorry — don’t miss our webinar on automotive systems

≪ Previous: Talking safety in Novi

Have you ever rummaged through old boxes in your basement and discovered family photos you had totally forgotten about — or never knew existed? I experienced a moment like that a couple of weeks ago. Except, in this case, no basement was involved. And the box wasn't a box, but a shared drive. And the photos weren't of my family, but of cars. QNX technology concept cars, to be exact.

At least once a year, the QNX concept team retrofits a new vehicle to demonstrate how our technology can help auto companies push the envelope in connectivity, infotainment, and acoustics. And, in every case, we take pictures — sometimes, lots of them. Inevitably, we end up choosing a few images for publicity purposes and filing the others. But as I discovered, the images we don't use are often just as good as the ones we do use. We just don't need all of them!

In any case, stumbling across these photos was great fun. I thought you might enjoy them, too, so here goes...

The Porsche
First up is the QNX technology concept car based on a Porsche 911, which made its debut at 2012 CES. We had originally planned to drive the car back to Ottawa once CES was over — but that was before we spoke to our friends at Texas Instruments, who provided the silicon for the car's instrument cluster and infotainment system. They liked the car so much, they asked if we could bring it to their HQ in Dallas, where the following two photos were taken. All I can say is, Dallas is home to at least one awesome cool photographer. Because rather than curse the crazy lighting, the photographer used it to create some playful compositions:

If you look below, you'll see another shot of the Porsche, taken just before we shipped it off to CES. The image really doesn't belong in this collection, as it appeared once on a partner website. But it's rare nonetheless, so I decided to include it. And besides, it's cool. Literally.

Did you know? The original Porsche 911, which debuted in the early 60s, was dubbed the 901. Problem was, Peugeot had exclusive rights in France to three-digit car names with a 0 in the middle. And so, the 901 became the 911.

The Bentley
Next up is the QNX technology concept car based on a Bentley Continental GT. In this image, the driver is interacting with the center stack's main control knob, which was mounted directly on a 17" touchscreen. See the row of icons just above the knob? These represented HVAC, music, navigation, hands-free calling and other system functions. The system would automatically display these icons as your hand approached the display; you would then turn the knob to choose the function you wanted. (This image was taken by a BlackBerry employee, whose name I have most ungraciously forgotten.)

As with our all concept vehicles, the intent was to showcase the technology that we had built into the car's dashboard and center stack. Which probably explains why the following image of the car's exterior was never published. Pity, as it's quite lovely — a classic case of flare adding flair.

Did you know? Those wheels aren't just for show. The Bentley comes equipped with a 616 hp W12 engine (yup, three banks of cylinders) that can do 0-60 mph in a little over 4 seconds — it took me way longer than that to type this sentence.

The Jeep
Next up is the Jeep Wrangler, which serves as the QNX reference vehicle. The Jeep plays a different role than the other vehicles highlighted here: instead of demonstrating how QNX technology can help automotive companies innovate, it shows what the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment can do right out of the box. In this image, you can see the vehicle's main navigation menu:

Did you know? The original infotainment system in the reference vehicle could post Facebook updates that listed the title and artist of the song currently playing. The system performed this magic in response to simple voice commands.

The Vette
The QNX technology concept car based on a Chevrolet Corvette made its debut at SAE Convergence 2010. Among other things, it showed how digital instrument clusters can morph on the fly to provide drivers with context-sensitive information, such as turn-by-turn directions. You can see a slicker, more sophisticated approach to reconfigurable clusters in our most recent technology concept car based on a Mercedes CLA45.

Did you know?We used the Corvette to demonstrate how QNX technology enables automotive companies to create customizable, reskinnable user interfaces. Check out this post on the Corvette's 30-day UI challenge.

The Prius
The first QNX-powered technology concept car was a digitally modded Prius — aka the LTE Connected Car. The car was a joint project of several companies, including QNX and Alcatel-Lucent, who wanted to demonstrate how 4G/LTE networks could transform the driving experience with a host of new in-vehicle applications.

Here's the car with a very proud-looking Derek Kuhn, who spearheaded the LTE Connected Car project while serving as a VP at Alcatel-Lucent. Derek subequently joined QNX as VP of sales and marketing:

Did you know? When this car was created, telecom companies had yet to light up their first commercial LTE towers. Also, the car had more infotainment systems than any other QNX technology concept car: two in the front (one for the driver and one for the front-seat passenger) and two in the back.

Some things get lost, albeit temporarily. And some you just never see again. Fortunately, all these images belong to the first category. Any favorites?

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Better safe than sorry — don’t miss our webinar on automotive systems

July 23, 2014, 9:20 am

≫ Next: QNX-powered 2015 Audi TT named best-connected car

≪ Previous: The lost concept car photos

Lynn Gayowski

I’m from Winnipeg where there is an extremely high population of terrible drivers, so I like to think I have a special understanding of what automotive safety is all about. (I’m sorry Winnipeg, I do still love you. Anyone who changes lanes without signalling should feel the finger of shame pointing at them right now.) But when we’re talking about automotive functional safety, I think there’s still a lot of learning left to do.

Enter my esteemed colleague Yi Zheng. Yi will be presenting a webinar on Designing Automotive Systems with the ISO 26262 Standard. Highlights will include:

Lessons learned from safety standards in other industries
The key concepts of ISO 26262
What ISO 26262 requirements mean for the design of your system

If you’re looking to brush up on your automotive safety knowledge I invite you to join. Here are the details:

Designing Automotive Systems with the ISO 26262 Standard
Monday, July 28, 20149 a.m. PT / Noon ET / 4 p.m.
UTCRegistration & more info here.

Attend from the comfort of your home or office – no parallel parking required!

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QNX-powered 2015 Audi TT named best-connected car

July 29, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: The summer road trip of 2017 — Part I

≪ Previous: Better safe than sorry — don’t miss our webinar on automotive systems

Is it innovative, beautiful, versatile, or just plain cool? I haven’t quite decided, so I’m thinking it’s all of the above. The QNX-based virtual cockpit in the 2015 Audi TT is a ravishing piece of automotive technology, and it brings driver convenience to a new level by integrating everything from speed and navigation to music and handsfree calling — all in a single, user-configurable display.

It seems I’m not the only one who's impressed. Because last week, 42,500 readers of “auto motor und sport” and “CHIP” chose the Audi TT as the industry's best-connected car. In fact, Audi took top honors in several categories, including navigation, telephone integration, sound system, entertainment/multimedia, and connected car.

To get an idea of what all the fuss is about, check out our video of the Audi TT’s virtual cockpit in action. We filmed this at CES earlier this year:

For more information on the award and the Audi TT, read Audi's press release.

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The summer road trip of 2017 — Part I

August 5, 2014, 11:35 am

≫ Next: Acoustics, ADAS, and autonomous cars, oh my!

≪ Previous: QNX-powered 2015 Audi TT named best-connected car

Lynn Gayowski

Summer is the season for many things — ice cream, outdoor festivals, heat waves, more ice cream, and perhaps best of all, hitting the open road. 2017 is around the corner, and between now and then, automakers will introduce a bevy of new features that will make for a safer and more enjoyable summer road trip. In this two-part series, we’ll take a look at how these technologies will help transform your summer road trip.

Tunes for the road
A road trip without a soundtrack is a road trip I want no part of. I think we can all agree that a Britney Spears playlist is compulsory. Music has always been intimately connected to the driving experience (see the Highway Hi-Fi Phonograph below for proof) and it’ll be even more integrated in the cars of 2017 with fewer limits.

The media sources that you depend on today — local drives, USB storage devices, smartphones, cloud services — will work seamlessly with your vehicle, allowing you and your passengers to enjoy any genre from any source. Conventionally constrained to your center stack, music meta-data will permeate all the screens of your car, even the instrument cluster.

And for the backseat DJs, they’ll be able to use apps on their mobile devices to control the music playing in the car, which just might make the oft-repeated passenger phrase “Can you skip to the next song? I don’t like this one,” obsolete. Of course, to minimize distraction, the driver will always maintain cabin-wide control of what’s playing, and how loud it’s playing.

The context-aware cockpit
The road trip of years past was plotted on a paper map and required a navigator in the passenger seat; today’s passengers are relieved of these duties as navigation and route plotting have gone digital. But even with that convenience, having to divert your eyes from the road to the center stack can be a nuisance. The dashboard of 2017 will offer greater convenience with a driver centric-display that could blend navigation and digital cluster information all on one screen. These vehicles will be “context aware” and display different information depending on the environment. For instance, surround-view cameras could detect pedestrians or cyclists and provide a minimalist on-screen alert to minimize driver distraction. Similarly, the system may disable certain functionality when the driver is about to navigate a hairpin turn. If the vehicle “knows” there’s a challenge ahead related to road condition, visibility, local speed limits, traffic, or topographical information, it could display the appropriate context-relevant information to the driver.

Staying mobile
By 2017, you’ll probably have a new smartphone and, regardless of the platform, it’ll be able to communicate with your car. Projection mode technologies will be commonplace and render your phone’s display and services onto your car’s center stack (one example is QNX-powered Audi’s MMI mobile media application framework). This integration will no doubt get even more advanced in the coming years, and with Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto connectivity protocols taking form, your favorite apps will be as at home on your dash as they are in your hand.

Your phone will also be able to control and monitor your car in new ways via the much-discussed, but sometimes nebulous, cloud. For instance, let’s say you find yourself at a behemoth rest stop and can’t remember the location of your car after indulging in the roadside cuisine. Your phone’s “key fob” app could tell you exactly where your car is — it could even let you check your oil and washer fluid remotely to see if your car is in shape to make it on the next of your leg of your trip.

How is in-car technology playing a role in your current summer road trip? How do you want it to improve your future road trips? What’s your favorite road trip destination? (My personal favorite is Washington, DC) Stay tuned here for Part II, and to our QNX_Auto Twitter account and Facebook page for weekly discussions on what 2017 has in store for your road trip.

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Acoustics, ADAS, and autonomous cars, oh my!

August 7, 2014, 12:51 pm

≫ Next: The summer road trip of 2017 – Part II

≪ Previous: The summer road trip of 2017 — Part I

Lynn Gayowski

Trying to make sense of where automotive technology is headed can be as tricky as finding your way through a poppy field while avoiding flying monkeys. Well strap on your shiny, red, video-watching shoes because Derek Kuhn can help. Derek, VP marketing and sales for QNX, was interviewed at Telematics Detroit and did an excellent job of summing up the latest on automotive acoustics, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and autonomous cars.

QNX announced the new QNX OS for Automotive Safety at Telematics Detroit, so safety was clearly top of mind during the interview. One question posed was whether automakers have the potential to use safety options as revenue generators. There's a quote here I love: "Safety shouldn't be about premium." OEMs need to find cost-effective ways to bring next-generation safety to the mass market, not just luxury vehicles.

The section of the video I find most interesting is when Derek discusses how acoustics in a car play a big role in creating "the emotion and experience of driving." Noise reduction technology and engine sound enhancement both have a significant impact on a driver's affinity for a vehicle, and OEMs are taking note.

Check out the video for yourself here, my pretties:

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The summer road trip of 2017 – Part II

August 12, 2014, 10:42 am

≫ Next: QNX-powered Audi Virtual Cockpit in 2015 Audi TT named a finalist in 2014 CTIA Hot for the Holidays Awards

≪ Previous: Acoustics, ADAS, and autonomous cars, oh my!

Lynn Gayowski

Our series looking at how in-car technologies will transform your summer road trip continues with part II. 2017 is around the corner, and between now and then, automakers will introduce a bevy of new features that will make for a safer and more enjoyable summer road trip. In our first part, we looked at your road trip soundtrack, navigation, and mobile device connectivity. This week, we look at safety, acoustics, and autonomous cars as we cruise to the last exit for this blog series.

Staying safe
By 2017, we likely won’t have developed the technology to shrink your mechanic down to a size that allows you to perch one on your dashboard like a bobble-head, but many cars will have a “virtual mechanic.” This application will let you check lights, fluids, tire pressure and other system vitals, all through your center stack, digital instrument cluster, or phone – as seen below. The idea of a safety speedometer is hardly new in concept (see the Plymouth safety speedometer from 1939), but its modern implementation in the cars of 2017 in the form of vision systems performing road sign detection might just mean fewer speeding tickets on your road trip, especially as you cruise through unfamiliar areas.

Staying in touch
Sometimes you want to take a road trip to get away from the world, but sometimes you still want (or need) to stay connected. Whether it’s phone calls, texts, or emails, all of this information will continue to be seamlessly integrated into your car in 2017. Less fumbling, fewer distractions.

And low-quality, stilted speakerphone calls will be a thing of the past with the emerging crop of acoustic technologies. Driving alone on a stretch of road and miss having your loved ones close by? Advanced duplex technology will make it seem as though the person on the other end of your phone conversation is sitting right beside you in the passenger’s seat.

Another cool development? You won’t have to struggle to use voice recognition technologies because of your noisy in-car cabin (that’s right, serenely quiet cabins will no longer be exclusive to luxury cars). Vehicles will continue to evolve to meet the strictest CAFÉ and emissions standards, while the negative acoustic side-effects from less damping materials will be countered using software to remove unwanted engine sound. And your engine in 2017 might really sound like purring (or growling, if that’s your preference), as signature sounds are enabled by engine sound enhancement software. So not only will you not feel crazy for talking to your car, you’ll also be less frustrated as you do so cruising down the interstate.

Beyond 2017: Look ma, no hands!
While it won’t happen quite as soon as 2017, autonomous cars will hit the roads in the relatively near future, forever changing the dynamic of the road trip. Will road trips be more accessible for the elderly and others who can’t physically drive long distances? Will the new meaning of “cruise control” make the road trip more or less enjoyable? All of these considerations are up for discussion. One thing is certain: many of the advanced safety systems of today and 2017 are precursors to cars that could drive themselves. One such example of what the future of autonomous driving will look like is the University of Parma’s DEEVA autonomous car project being developed by the Artificial Vision and Intelligent Systems Laboratory (VisLab).

How is in-car technology playing a role in your current summer road trip? How do you want it to improve your future road trips? Stay tuned to our QNX_Auto Twitter account and Facebook page for weekly discussions throughout the rest of the summer about 2017 has in store for your road trip.

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QNX-powered Audi Virtual Cockpit in 2015 Audi TT named a finalist in 2014 CTIA Hot for the Holidays Awards

August 15, 2014, 9:23 am

≫ Next: QNX Acoustics for Active Noise Control wins a Silver Stevie

≪ Previous: The summer road trip of 2017 – Part II

Andrew Poliak

This just in! The QNX-powered Audi Virtual Cockpit in the 2015 Audi TT has just been named a finalist in the connected car category in the 2014 CTIA Hot for the Holidays Awards. Just in time for the holiday buying season, the Hot for the Holidays Awards recognize the hottest mobile consumer electronics, including gadgets and accessories from entertainment and health to the connected car and home. The awards were judged by a panel of recognized industry experts, media and analysts.

The sleek 2015 Audi TT features a one-of-a-kind combined infotainment and fully digital instrument cluster — the Audi virtual cockpit —powered by the QNX OS platform. With the virtual cockpit, all content from current speed to the next turnoff, is located on one 12.3” display directly in front of the driver’s eyes elegantly blending infotainment and car gauges, in crisp, fast 3D. You can check out virtual cockpit in action below.

Winners will be announced on Wednesday, September 10, 2014 during CTIA’s Super Mobility Week in Las Vegas. The Audi Virtual Cockpit in the 2015 Audi TT is also up for the crowd favorite award where attendees and online users have the opportunity to select their favorite product, so please be sure to vote! Online voting ends Monday, September 8at 5 p.m. PT.

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QNX Acoustics for Active Noise Control wins a Silver Stevie

August 18, 2014, 2:32 pm

≫ Next: QNX Acoustics for Voice — a new name and a new benchmark in acoustic processing

≪ Previous: QNX-powered Audi Virtual Cockpit in 2015 Audi TT named a finalist in 2014 CTIA Hot for the Holidays Awards

Lynn Gayowski

The winners of the 11th annual International Business Awards have been announced and I'm happy to share that QNX Acoustics for Active Noise Control (ANC) has won a Silver Stevie Award in the software category, for Best New Product or Service of the Year! The awards program honours the achievements of organizations and working professionals worldwide, and received more than 3,500 nominations this year from dozens of countries. It feels great to be chosen as a winner among so many entries.

If you're unfamiliar with QNX Acoustics for ANC, it's a software solution that can dramatically reduce unwanted engine harmonic noise inside the cabin of a vehicle. The software's algorithms for noise cancellation can run on an existing CPU or DSP in the infotainment system, eliminating the need for dedicated hardware controller modules. The end result is significant savings for automakers and a quieter ride for drivers and passengers.

This is the second award for QNX Acoustics for ANC, after a win in February at the Embedded World conference's embedded AWARDs. If you want to learn more about the solution, read our white paper titled A Software-Based Approach to Active Noise Control in Automobiles. Congratulations QNX!

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