Pictures of the Future      Fall 2005

In Brief

^? According to Siemens’ "Future of Automotive" study, which details develop­ments until 2020, the number of vehicle models will continue to increase. And whereas customers in emerging markets will require safe, low-cost automobiles, their counterparts in industrialized countries want comfortable upper-range cars. In addition, new electronic systems and optimized components will further reduce fuel consumption and emissions  ^more

^? Passive driving safety systems such as air bags and ABS will be augmented by active systems that will, e.g., help drivers see better at night, stay in lane, keep a safe distance from other vehicles, and drive in stop-and-go traffic. Siemens VDO Automotive is contributing to the effort and presented a "seeing" car at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in September, 2005. The vehicle, a BMW, is equipped with a Siemens VDO sensor system that helps drivers by scanning and evaluating the area around the car. The system is easy to use, so drivers won’t be overburdened  ^more

^? Drivers will always retain ultimate control and will be able to manually override vehicle responses. Assistance systems will first draw attention to a potential hazard before issuing a warning   
^{for more see Trends and Driver Assistance}

^? Researchers at Siemens Corporate Technology and Siemens VDO are cooperating in numerous projects—e.g. to develop sensors that measure air quality in cars, an augmented- reality system for improved navigation, and a traffic-jam assistant that maintains the right distance from the next car even in curves and at low speeds  ^more

^? Because cars will increasingly communicate with one another, their drivers and traffic control centers, drivers will be able to operate more vehicle functions via voice control. To this end, Siemens has developed the Very Smart Recognizer (VSR), which can understand ca. 30,000 clearly spoken words. The system will be ready for production at the end of 2006  ^more

^? Siemens is working on a revolutionary brake concept. Instead of the hydraulic systems in use today, the new electronically regulated wedge brake can brake the wheels individually and very efficiently. The technology is ideal for hybrid vehicles, which use both an electronic motor and a combustion engine and thus have more electronic controllers than other vehicles  ^more