Photo: Vanarama
The world is getting all kinds of mixed signals regarding the Apple Car, and while it was originally rumored the team working on the project was dismissed, the recent appointment of a Ford veteran certainly seems to suggest the vehicle is still in development.
Apple obviously refuses to comment on all these reports, but what the company does, on the other hand, is file new patents that could at least provide us with an early look at how it sees the future of transportation.
And based on a recently discovered patent for a so-called Guidance System, the future of transportation could be crazily futuristic, as Apple seemingly wants to let the occupants of the Apple Car control it using voice commands.
First and foremost, the Guidance System patent envisions several scenarios, most of them when the self-driving car doesn’t have accurate maps to reach a defined destination. In this case, the driver or any other occupant of the car could step in and help guide the vehicle, though this wouldn’t happen in the classic way that we’re currently using in our cars.
Apple envisions a way to provide input to the Apple Car using the touchscreen of an iPhone or with the help of a voice command sent through Siri.
For instance, you could use the iPhone to tap the location on the map where you want the Apple Car to park. As an alternative, a voice command like “park over there” could help the Apple Car figure out where it needs to go.
Certainly, this sounds like a feature that’s not ready for mass adoption, and it’s important to remember the idea is still in the patent stage. In other words, while Apple is indeed exploring all these ways to improve the experience in an Apple Car, there’s absolutely no guarantee that these features would end up being used on the production-ready model.
And based on a recently discovered patent for a so-called Guidance System, the future of transportation could be crazily futuristic, as Apple seemingly wants to let the occupants of the Apple Car control it using voice commands.
First and foremost, the Guidance System patent envisions several scenarios, most of them when the self-driving car doesn’t have accurate maps to reach a defined destination. In this case, the driver or any other occupant of the car could step in and help guide the vehicle, though this wouldn’t happen in the classic way that we’re currently using in our cars.
Apple envisions a way to provide input to the Apple Car using the touchscreen of an iPhone or with the help of a voice command sent through Siri.
For instance, you could use the iPhone to tap the location on the map where you want the Apple Car to park. As an alternative, a voice command like “park over there” could help the Apple Car figure out where it needs to go.
Certainly, this sounds like a feature that’s not ready for mass adoption, and it’s important to remember the idea is still in the patent stage. In other words, while Apple is indeed exploring all these ways to improve the experience in an Apple Car, there’s absolutely no guarantee that these features would end up being used on the production-ready model.
Google News