AR Feature:

Telematics: Test-Driving Next-Gen Vehicle-Driver Communications
by Tao Zhang, Director, Applied Research

In a series of current U.S. radio and TV ads, a motorist in trouble uses an on-board system to contact a dispatcher, who calms the driver, pinpoints the car's location, and sends help. This technology is known as "telematics" and is the marriage of mobile communications and computers. And whether a driver spends hours commuting or just drives around town transporting kids, telematics has raised the driver-car relationship to a whole new level.

In the automotive world, telematics has come to mean the exchange of voice and data among vehicles, network applications, and drivers. Telematics systems are also used for troubleshooting, navigation, and locating lost vehicles.

Impressive? Yes. But now Telcordia engineers are working on moving telematics to the next level - an end-to-end telematics system. It's called the Telcordia Telematics Service Platform.

Unlike other solutions, the new Telcordia platform employs a higher level of open systems with automated, flowthrough functionality that cuts the time, cost, and human error involved in creating services and managing the world's most complex networks. The platform has two basic components.

The first component, the Telcordia Telematics Server, not only enables users to contact live help, but it also supports do-it-yourself services and diagnostics, automatically monitoring and reporting on vehicle performance and faults. Locked out? Just use your PDA or Web-enabled mobile phone to "call" your car and unlock the doors. And don't worry, before unlocking the car, the server makes sure the car's not moving and the engine is off.

The server also maintains user and vehicle profiles; authenticates vehicles, users, and third-party application providers; and has fast, intuitive application creation capabilities. Gone is the need for sophisticated GUIs inside the vehicle. Drivers and fleet managers simply use any mobile phone, PDA, or home/office computer to access the server from anywhere. It's highly scalable, reliable, and, best of all, equipped with open interfaces. That means, it's always ready for new applications including those from third parties. So just before leaving the office, busy executives can log on to their PCs and select the MP3 songs they want to listen to during their rush-hour commute.

The second component is the On-Board Unit, an in-vehicle device provided by an automotive equipment supplier. This unit communicates with the server across heterogeneous networks, including WiFi, cellular systems, and mesh networks. It retrieves vehicle information, sends it to the server, and executes commands from the server or the in-vehicle human-machine interface. With just one call, a busy mom can unlock her car doors, start the engine, cool down the car's interior, and play her child's team song.

Imagine - no more embarrassing calls and long waits for roadside assistance to come and retrieve keys that are locked in a car. Using a mobile device or computer, drivers can unlock their doors or double-check that their car windows are closed. They can then use a standard browser to log on to the server, schedule radio programs, or podcasts, and, when they get behind the wheel, their "infotainment" downloads automatically and plays over the radio. Of course, if there is car trouble, they can summon roadside assistance, track a lost vehicle, and perform diagnostics without waiting for a report from their telematics provider.

In short, there's a next-generation telematics system coming that will make it affordable for more people to be in touch with their vehicles on their own terms with the devices they use everyday - increasing their driving safety, convenience, and pleasure. And now it's almost on the road thanks to a major automotive company, which worked with Telcordia on features for a prototype system and provided a vehicle to demonstrate it.