5 Future Technologies That Can Help Reduce Human-To-Human Contact

Thalavai Venkatesan Jun 06, 2020

The highly contagious nature of the COVID-19 has brought about several questions on human interfacing, and increased focus on human-to-machine interactions. Social distancing has become a part of our life in these times and it is likely to stay. It will be a routine part of our life in the future. This leads us to ponder on the possibility of automotive technologies helping in reducing human-to-human dependency when it comes to mobility.

The automotive industry has been focused on the goal of developing a fully autonomous vehicle system. While Level 5 (fully automated driving) is still some distance away, we have achieved various levels of autonomy in vehicles, depending on the category.

These can be optimized to ensure we limit further human-to-human interaction in the future.

Connectivity in Cars

Many of the cars today are connected to the internet. While this has primarily been focused on enabling seamless navigation, this can also help bring in newer technologies that allow for a more intuitive, quicker interaction between the human and the vehicle. Time-sensitive, safety-critical information can be accessed directly through a car. Connectivity in cars also helps in connecting IoT devices - be it at home, or in office. Imagine opening your home or office door while you are in the car or ordering groceries at your local store to pick up as you are driving. Connectivity at various levels plays the primary role in enabling contactless deliveries. It helps navigate the drivers through the routes, helps in communication through various apps and wearables, and helps track the goods. Connectivity also forms the base that enables autonomous mobility that can be used in complete contactless delivery.

2. Robot Delivery

Goods and parcel delivery to residential areas is a growing and dynamic market. Automated goods delivery is an integral part of future urban mobility as an addition to conventional goods delivery. Autonomous robo-taxis, for instance, Continental’s CUbE(Continental Urban Mobility Experience), can carry one or multiple delivery robots and deploy them to handle the last-mile delivery of the goods and parcel. The seamless integration of a driverless vehicle – in this case, CUbE as a carrier – and a delivery robot present a more effective and efficient distribution of goods.

Driverless robo-taxis will become an important part of mobility in urban centers, helping to reduce traffic congestion and increase efficiency. Robot delivery is just one use case of the robo-taxi. These have driven and carried passengers on short, straightforward public routes during pilot projects and in designated areas at airports, hospitals, universities, and exhibition grounds.

3. Remote Diagnostics and Over-the-Air Updates

Today’s vehicles include up to 100 computing units and millions of lines of code. Keeping this digital network up-to-date or installing new functions has up to now most often required a trip to the repair shop. The biggest challenge today also remains ensuring a vehicle also remains in good health when it is not being used. Remote diagnostics provide an optimal solution, sending periodic updates to the service center or the user about the state of the vehicle, required repairs and more. Remote diagnostics and over-the-air updates save the numerous trips to service centres to merely install a basic update or fix a minor bug in the system. Connectivity also opens the scope for predictive maintenance, where the vehicle gets scanned for any possible breakdown or perhaps loss in tire pressure, the driver receives this information on-board and through suggestions based on GPS, the driver gets assistance on the nearest service station. Continental is also working towards the development of over-the-air update solutions capable of updating the entire vehicle from powertrain to infotainment systems.

4. Intelligent Vehicle Door

Intelligent Vehicle Doors allow drivers to operate doors without physically touching them, For instance, Continental Smart Access allows the use of a smart device to act as a virtual key for functions such as unlock, lock, remote start, liftgate access, mobilization authorization and zone functions (e.g. welcome light, approach unlock). In combination with the Continental Smart Access system, the entire door can become intelligent, which means that it opens and closes independently without physically touching the door. This automatic unlocking system is activated by means of NFC technology, such as via a smartphone, which transmits the signal following a successful security check and automatically triggers the unlocking process for the door. Electronically controlled doors enable convenient, hands-free operation. Continental’s security and control algorithms ensure that people can open and close the vehicle door securely and easily.

5. Surface Materials

While surface materials do not reduce human contact, there are innovations developed within surface technologies that do play an important role in reducing the sustenance and containing the growth of various germs, fungi and bacteria. Continental’s Surface Solutions has already developed various sustainable solutions within their Acella Eco range of products to facilitate the same, not to forget the REACH and strict environments regulations we need to also respect. The “new normal” today demands us to practice and keep all the contact surfaces clean and sanitized at all the times. However, it is believed that cleaning seats more than often, can not only degrade or cause damage to the material but also can be a tiresome process. Contrary to this belief, surface materials from Continental have excellent cleanability and anti-stain properties with facilitates easy and effective cleaning of surfaces. With Continental’s Acella Eco range, surfaces can be cleaned and disinfected with soap water with recommended concentrations and disinfectant liquids.