autonet Archives - Page 2 of 37

HUDs are Good

Aug 12 2015

This tech debuted in fighter jets and has made its way down to our passenger vehicles.

It’s a holographic technology called HUD – Heads-Up Display.

Thought I’d dislike it – a busy cluster of information positioned directly in my field of vision? – but it’s fast to adopt and quite enjoyable. No dipping your eyes.

Find HUD in the Hyundai Genesis, Cadillacs, and Mazda does a great job.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

Usually I condemn these new bleeding-edge technology features and discourage adoption, but Head-Up Displays are an exception, opt-in on a new car if possible.

Review of the all-new 2015 Hyundai Genesis here.

Here’s a detailed post about HUD.

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Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

Use my Tricks to Conquer Road Rage

Aug 4 2015

I rarely get worked up while behind the wheel, here’s how and why.

Try my 6 tricks for overcoming road rage:

apply these 2 types of logic,
car dancing,
talking on the phone,
people watching,
my last trick is the best one.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

The last trick is my most devious one – I pretend I’m a puppet master.

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Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

Drive a Car with your Mind

Aug 3 2015

A research team in China has successfully installed thought-controlled computing into a car.

Using only the power of her mind, Xie Lingyue locked and unlocked the vehicle, started it, and then moved it both forward and backward. She mentally informed the trunk to open and side mirrors to fold in.

Read it online at Autonet.

Now.

For years, who’s been telling you this is coming? The blog tag thought-controlled computing dates back to February 2011.

It’s here guys.

The words ‘neuro’ & ‘neural’ will be part of our vocabulary

We’ll soon be using BCIs – Brainwave-Controlled Interfaces

Remember my 2012 Prediction? What the Mayans really meant?

Hang on, I’ll go grab that old video.

(originally predicted February 2011)

I’ll keep predicting the future, you keep rolling your eyes.

I’m a natural.

Blog tag = the Mind

The Worst Traffic Lights in Toronto

Jul 28 2015

The light is green. Really tough to tell eh, and we’re not far from them even.

The sidewalk sign is easily seen, and when the light changes to yellow it’s obvious too, but not the green.

Here, I’ll blow up the photo:

Located at the Yonge and Richmond Street, a one-way road travelling west.

They’re not in need of replacing, they’ve been like this for years. This makes no sense! Every other green light downtown can be seen from far, why are these ones so dim?

Maybe it’s intentional? Like, keep the lights faded so I don’t know what I’m driving into, and naturally slow down.

Then I remembered a story I wrote for the paper in 2013. Maybe these lights have to do with that?

60 intersections in downtown Toronto
are equipped with Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence was added to traffic lights so they could talk to one another, and adjust their timing. When tested, gridlock was reduced up to 40% and travel time was reduced up to 26%.

To instal AI into each intersection costs between $20,000 – $40,000, and the city that was chosen to be the test city is… Toronto.

Read it on Autonet here.

First Time a Vehicle is Remotely Hacked

Jul 22 2015

WIRED magazine published a story yesterday about the world’s first documented wireless attack of a vehicle. A pair of security researchers put a journalist behind the wheel of a Jeep Cherokee and took control of it while he was driving miles away.

Read my synopsis on Autonet, here’s the original WIRED story by Andy Greenberg, and below are the key things to know.

This security update does NOT affect Canadian vehicles

I contacted Chrysler, and got this quote for Autonet:

“An FCA representative in Canada tells Autonet, “Due to market access to cellular connectivity in the Canadian marketplace, FCA Canada vehicles are not affected by this condition and therefore do not require a system upgrade.”

It does however, affect American vehicles, specifically American mid-2013 to 2015 Fiat-Chrysler vehicles that are equipped with the Uconnect infotainment system.

WIRED estimates about 417,000 are affected. Download the security update from FCA here, or take it to a dealership mechanic.

What happened to the car?

Radio, A/C and wipers were all turned on high, and Andy spun the control dials with zero affect. They altered the dashboard screen image.

They cut the transmission, and an 18-wheeler came barrelling up behind him, then they disengaged the brakes and sent Andy into a ditch.

They turned the SUV into a surveillance tool, tracking its GPS coordinates and tracing it on a map.

How was the car attacked?

The pair gain wireless control of the Cherokee via the vehicle’s Uconnect infotainment system which is connected to the Sprint network.

They enter the car through its cellular connection, then move to an adjacent chip in the head unit and rewrite the chip’s firmware to include their malicious code. Now they’re able to send commands through the car’s computer network – CAN bus – and control physical components like the brakes and transmission.

What’s next?

The pair will present their findings at the upcoming Black Hat online security conference in Vegas, as well as share their code. A key vulnerability will be omitted, but the code to do the dashboard tricks will hit the internet.

Why? They say 2 reasons: for peer review, and it “sends a message: automakers need to be held accountable for their vehicles’ digital security.”

Overall Takeaway

What Charlie said:

“We shut down your engine—a big rig was honking up on you because of something we did on our couch,” Miller says, as if I needed the reminder. “This is what everyone who thinks about car security has worried about for years. This is a reality.”