Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The software is the driver

Computers will play a huge role in the future of driving. Maybe GM should get out manufacturing and focus on software development. Its competitors surely move in that direction:


Audi achieves that torque number by using four electric motors, one at each wheel.

The four electric motors meant that Audi could design a virtual Quattro all-wheel-drive system, integrating the power distribution program with vehicle dynamics sensors. By default, the rear motors deliver 70 percent of the torque, the high number compensating for the 58 percent weight distribution to the rear wheels. But as conditions dictate, the power software can give any wheel greater or less power, which should make for incredible road-holding, beyond even Audi's current Quattro system.

The car's navigation and communication electronics are designed to communicate with external roads infrastructure, receiving information about traffic and green lights, for example, and adjusting routes accordingly to maximize driving efficiency.

As the amount and types of moving "informational parts" in the car increase, the value of the control function within the device will increase accordingly.

:: control, scale, information, payload, software

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