In an effort to create new on-the-road tools, Ford, U of Michigan, and Intel all got together about a year ago to create a project they called American Journey 2.0. Journey 2.0 spawned “Cloud Computing within the Commute” a class and competition between students to create a new social-networking application for use in Ford research automobiles. Caravan Track, the winner of the competition, will be used within the Ford Fiesta research car heading to the Maker Faire in California.
Caravan Track
The winner of the “Cloud Computing in the Commute” course and competition is an application called Caravan Track. Caravan Track is a social network / internet / wifi application that helps members of a caravan keep track of one another. Caravan Track will keep track of the position and road hazards of all vehicles signed into a particular trip. If the caravan is set to pass restaurants, rest areas, or points of interest, the Caravan Track app will inform them. Messages are pre-programmed into the touch screen, making certain the driver keeps their eyes on the road.
Five other Ford App Competition entries
American Journey 2.0 created six teams to compete for the title of best Ford app. While Caravan Track won, the other applications nevertheless have the potential to be very useful. The GreenRide Challenge uses Facebook to match drivers and potential carpool passengers. By allowing self-reported road hazards with one-touch systems, NostraMap creates real-time maps of areas to stay away from. Fuel Tracker gives real-time feedback on fuel economy and mileage for a specific route. By learning what a driver is interested in over time, Point-Of-Interest is an application that is intended to recommend locations and businesses that a driver could be interested in going to. “Listen. Speak. Rate. Share.” is an app built to provide and share audio reviews for points of interest along a driver’s route.
Ford Fiesta with Caravan Track
A specially-designed Ford Fiesta is going to be loaded up with Caravan Track and other experimental programs, then it will head out for Silicon Valley. This research Fiesta will attempt to social network report its entire trip from May 14 to Might 22 on the way to the Maker Faire. Students at the University of Michigan who took the “Cloud Computing in the Commute” class are certain to keep a close eye on the trip.
Resources for this article:
Edmunds Blog
http://blogs.edmunds.com/strategies/2010/05/with-help-from-ford-students-create-the-future-of-in-car-cloud-computing.html
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