QNX at SAE Convergence: The media's take

If you follow this blog, you'll know that QNX Software Systems recently unveiled its latest connected car, a digitally pimped-out Corvette. The car, which made its debut at SAE Convergence, comes with a dynamically reconfigurable instrument cluster and a multimedia head unit that integrates with smartphones and other mobile devices.

The car stoked the interest of a number of journalists who attended the SAE Convergence event. Here's what some of them had to say:

CNET cartech blog — QNX upgrades infotainment using iPod Out, Terminal Mode

SAE Automotive Engineering — QNX solves timing mismatch for auto infotainment

Edmunds.com — Hands-On with Terminal Mode at SAE Convergence 2010

Automotive DesignLine — QNX highlights automotive connectivity options at SAE Convergence

EE Times — Electronically 'stoking' a Corvette

AmericanJR.com (video) — Hands-on Interview with Andrew Poliak

WWJ-AM — Convergence Talks Future Of High-Tech Autos

Automobilwoche — QNX zeigt Vision vom voll vernetzten Fahrzeug

WardsAuto.com — QNX Technology Steps Up Vehicle Connectivity

 

Video: Guided tour of QNX concept car at SAE Convergence

Recently, I introduced you to the digital instrument cluster and multimedia head unit in the new QNX concept car, a digitally pimped-out Corvette, which made its debut this week at SAE Convergence.

Well, grab some popcorn and dim the lights, because here is a video of my colleague Andrew Poliak giving a guided tour of these two systems. The video, taken by Jason Rzucidlo of AmericaJR.com, was taped on the Convergence show floor:



 

Videos: QNX Support for Terminal Mode and Apple iPod Out

Earlier today, I mentioned that the head unit in QNX Software Systems' new concept car can seamlessly access a host of smartphone applications — everything from apps that find your friends to services that track down the closest available parking spot. To enable this access, QNX supports several technologies, including Terminal Mode and Apple iPod Out.

Good news: QNX has posted videos that demonstrate how these two technologies work. So grab some popcorn, dim the lights, and discover how your car and your smartphone are about to become a lot more intimate:





Note that both these videos were shot in a Toyota Prius, which has served as the demonstration vehicle for the QNX CAR Application Platform since late 2009. This week, QNX is showcasing these same capabilities in its latest demonstration vehicle, a Chevrolet Corvette.

You can also view these videos on the QNX website: Terminal Mode, Apple iPod Out

 

Report from Convergence: Clusters, Connectivity, and Quotable Quotes

My colleague Nancy Young is doing double-duty as a field correspondent, attending events at SAE Convergence and reporting on them in her blog, Forever Young.

She's already posted several entries, so I invite you to take a gander:

What are little digital instrument clusters made of?

Freescale SABRE rattling at Convergence

Convergence 2010 booth visitors speak out about their connectivity priorities

Connected Car 2.0 at Convergence 2010: Why the Corvette?

How is Gen Y changing the automotive landscape?

What will the auto industry look like in 2012?

 

Smart phone, equally smart head unit

Yesterday, I introduced you to the digital instrument cluster in the new QNX concept car, a specially modified Chevrolet Corvette. Today, let’s look at the car's multimedia head unit, picture here:



Among other things, the unit demonstrates how car infotainment systems can access a host of applications on smart phones and other mobile devices, such as maps for finding restaurants and geosocial apps for locating friends. In fact, the head unit supports two modes of mobile-device interaction:

Terminal Mode — Replicates the smart phone screen on the head unit and allows steering wheel buttons, touchscreens, and other in-car user inputs to control the smart phone. Also enables the head unit to access new mobile phone applications as they become available.

Apple iPod Out — Enables the head unit to display content from an iPhone or iPod touch, including music menus and album art, and to support new iPod features without software changes. Also allows users to view an interface they are familiar with.

These descriptions only scratch the surface of how these technologies work. For instance, the specification for Terminal Mode, which is still in development, includes provisions to reduce driver distraction, such as mechanisms that lock out unsafe apps while the car is in motion. (QNX has produced a couple of videos on these two technologies; I will provide links later this week.)

The head unit isn’t a one-trick pony. It also offers:

• a reskinnable user interface (HMI) based on Adobe Flash


• Pandora streaming audio, Webkit browsing, and Google Maps with local search


• iAnywhere Bluetooth and hands-free calling


• A virtual mechanic that gets OBD-II trouble codes from the vehicle CAN bus and displays them in an interactive graphic

The virtual mechanic is especially cool. As I've mentioned elsewhere, it doesn't fix your car for you, but it can tell you when things are going south and help you take appropriate action, before the problem escalates. In fact, it can even help you find the nearest gas station or dealership.

Like the digital instrument cluster, the head unit for the concept Corvette was built with the QNX CAR application platform, which you can learn more about here.
 

Goodbye analog, hello digital: A new instrument cluster for the QNX concept car

This week, at SAE Convergence, QNX is showcasing its brand new concept car, a digitally pimped-out Chevrolet Corvette. The car is equipped with a head unit that talks to smart phones (more on that in a subsequent post) and a digital instrument cluster that can reconfigure itself on the fly.

This dynamic reconfigurability is a dramatic departure from traditional analog clusters, so let’s start with that. For example, here is the cluster in “straight up” mode, showing both the speedometer and the tachometer:


Click to magnify.

Now here is the same display, but with a speedometer and a navigation app:



And here it is again, with a speedometer and a weather widget:



It’s easy to see how this dynamic configurability could simplify driving in the real world: Put the car in drive, for example, and you see a navigation display; put it in reverse, and you see a backup camera. Very cool.

Road proven
Speaking of the real world, I know of at least two companies using QNX-based digital clusters in actual vehicles. The first is Land Rover, which uses a QNX-based cluster in its 2010 Range Rover. The other is the MTA Group, an international auto supplier that builds technology for some exceedingly cool supercars.

According to an article published in the MTA Journal, MTA chose the QNX Neutrino RTOS for their digital clusters because of “its extremely fast startup times, high-speed functionalities and support for graphics display controllers…”

Reference implementation
To build the cluster showcased in the Corvette, the engineers at QNX took advantage of QNX CAR Application Platform, which includes, among other things, a reference implementation for building digital clusters. To find out more about QNX CAR, click here.

Technical deep dive
BTW, if your job is create a digital instrument cluster, check out the technical article discussed in this blog post.

It's a connected Corvette!

Last week, I teased you with glimpses of the new QNX concept car, which is set to make its debut at the SAE Convergence auto show. Well, no more teasing. Here is the car — a digitally pimped-out Corvette — in all its decaled glory:


Click to magnify.

Stay tuned: Over the next couple of days, I will invite you inside and reveal some of the goodies embedded in the Corvette’s dash. These include a digital instrument cluster that can dynamically reconfigure itself and a head unit that can talk to smart-phone apps.

BTW, the Corvette will also make an appearance at ARM TechCon, which will be held November 9-11 in Santa Clara. (Hm, I guess that means that the cluster or head unit is using an ARM-based processor...)

To keep up to date on the car and the many QNX demos at the Convergence conference, subscribe to the QNX Twitter stream, twitter.com/QNX_News.