Apple Car Patent Reveals External Warning System When SelfDriving

Apple Car Patent Reveals External Warning System When Self-Driving

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The Cupertino-based company plans to show other drivers information about the car, weather warnings, and more. But will it be aimed at consumers?

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Apple Car Patent Reveals External Warning System When SelfDriving

Apple has filed several patents for its long-rumored car, and the latest batch seems to show the vehicle will feature an external display that could warn pedestrians and other road users when it’s in self-driving mode. The roots of the modern driverless car movement began with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a technology development arm of the U.S. government. In 2004, DARPA organized a competition, challenging engineers to see if they could build a vehicle capable of self-navigating 150 miles of desert road. That first year, nobody was successful. However, in 2007, four groups completed the course. By 2009, Google had established a team to develop work on the problem full time, and the autonomous car industry was born.

In the 13 years since Google started, numerous others have also joined them in the space, ensuring unmanned vehicles are one of the most exciting nascent technologies. Car giants like General Motors and Ford have invested billions in self-driving research, while companies such as Tesla are developing advanced driver-assist systems that may one day be fully autonomous. Technology firms Amazon and China’s Baidu are also investing in the space. At the same time, Google’s own driverless car project has since become Waymo, which is actively operating driver-free rides in select cities.

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Apple has a history of biding its time before getting into an emergent product category. In 2001, there were already many MP3 players on the market, but when the first iPod launched in October of that year, it set a path for Apple to take over the market. Of course, the same is true of the iPhone, which launched in 2007 and arguably transformed the smartphone industry. Now, with Apple’s latest patents, it seems it has plans to go its own way with self-driving technology. As noted by Patently Apple, the firm has filed paperwork for an external vehicle warning system that uses lights and text displays. Apple explains the setup could notify others on the road when a car is in driverless mode, providing insight on its speed, how hard it’s braking, and even the pace of nearby cars.

Vehicles Could Display Weather Warnings

The filings also discuss how the displays may use icons and flashing light sequences, which could provide weather warnings and other non vehicle-related data. Additionally, Apple has included several diagrams that show the lights and screens that might wrap around the car, effectively ensuring people will see information no matter which side they are on. The Cupertino-based company also notes that owners might also customize the displays, though it’s not clear if they could be utilized as a digital vanity plate of sorts.

While these latest patents seem to demonstrate that Apple really does plan to launch a driver-free car, they also suggest the firm might not be chasing the consumer space — at least, not at launch. A vehicle that shows helpful information for other drivers sounds like it could be geared toward municipalities or law enforcement. Indeed, Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously suggested self-driving cars are really robots — an area that Apple has expertise in. Not that it sells robots, of course, but it uses countless autonomous machines in its supply chain and recycling units. An unmanned car could be Apple’s first public-facing robot, displaying helpful information to humans who drive by.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/apple-car-patent-external-warning-system-selfdriving/

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