Photo: USPTO
The automotive industry is pouring billions of dollars into new ideas that could eventually boost the level of safety behind the wheel, but tech behemoth Microsoft says most of these systems come with one big flaw: they aren’t tailored to the experience or behavior of each driver.
This is why the world’s number one software firm has decided to step in and develop a system whose sole purpose is to generate “drive safety forecasts for future drives.”
A patent application approved on January 24, 2023 describes complex technology that would eventually help build a safety system that is personalized for each driver.
It all starts with a driving monitoring system. In Microsoft’s implementation, this kind of software would play a key role, as its main goal is to determine how each driver behaves behind the wheel. The system would collect all kinds of data, including how hard they brake, how fast they go, steering data, acceleration information, and so on. Furthermore, Microsoft says it can also store information on the associated routes and roads, so the driver monitoring system would eventually know precisely where, when, and why you were going over the speed limit.
Based on this data, the driver would be given a score for each route, and using this score, Microsoft’s new tech could eventually determine if and when you should head over to a certain destination using the same route.
To better understand how it works, just think of someone who typically goes over the speed limit on highways. Based on the collected data, the system would generate a lower driving score on highways, so when the user defines a new address that uses a high-speed road, they could end up getting alternative routes or other recommendations to improve safety. Microsoft says the suggestions could also tell the driver to leave at a later time based on the traffic conditions and certain patterns that the system can look into and which could eventually help boost safety.
As per everything Microsoft, the software firm says the monitoring service can be configured in such a way that more users would have access to it. In the case of a company, for instance, the system can notify the administrator of the driving score of a certain employee, while also sending recommendations on which routes are safer based on their driving history and pattern data.
Currently in the patent stage, this piece of technology certainly provides the drivers with more information on the way they behave behind the wheel, but more importantly, it generates driving recommendations based on the collected data. It’ll be interesting to see if Microsoft ends up partnering with a carmaker to power a new system based on its idea, as unlike rival Apple, the software giant isn’t by any means interested in developing its own vehicle.
A patent application approved on January 24, 2023 describes complex technology that would eventually help build a safety system that is personalized for each driver.
It all starts with a driving monitoring system. In Microsoft’s implementation, this kind of software would play a key role, as its main goal is to determine how each driver behaves behind the wheel. The system would collect all kinds of data, including how hard they brake, how fast they go, steering data, acceleration information, and so on. Furthermore, Microsoft says it can also store information on the associated routes and roads, so the driver monitoring system would eventually know precisely where, when, and why you were going over the speed limit.
Based on this data, the driver would be given a score for each route, and using this score, Microsoft’s new tech could eventually determine if and when you should head over to a certain destination using the same route.
To better understand how it works, just think of someone who typically goes over the speed limit on highways. Based on the collected data, the system would generate a lower driving score on highways, so when the user defines a new address that uses a high-speed road, they could end up getting alternative routes or other recommendations to improve safety. Microsoft says the suggestions could also tell the driver to leave at a later time based on the traffic conditions and certain patterns that the system can look into and which could eventually help boost safety.
As per everything Microsoft, the software firm says the monitoring service can be configured in such a way that more users would have access to it. In the case of a company, for instance, the system can notify the administrator of the driving score of a certain employee, while also sending recommendations on which routes are safer based on their driving history and pattern data.
Currently in the patent stage, this piece of technology certainly provides the drivers with more information on the way they behave behind the wheel, but more importantly, it generates driving recommendations based on the collected data. It’ll be interesting to see if Microsoft ends up partnering with a carmaker to power a new system based on its idea, as unlike rival Apple, the software giant isn’t by any means interested in developing its own vehicle.
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