One possible challenge with a vehicle packed full of connected components is what happens when you're out of range of the Internet. That problem could be partially solved by technology described in a 2003 patent (the oldest on this list, although it was only published in 2012). The patent describes a mesh network capable of keeping a car running in such a scenario.
Apple has since explored mesh networks beginning with iOS 7, becoming one of the first mainstream consumer tech companies to do so.
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
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5 responses to “What Apple’s patents tell us about a possible iCar”
Eu quero o meu iCar! ;)
Optional dashcam and security camera would be nice too! Say your car gets broken into, it’d be nice to get an alert, scare them off, log into iCloud and send a photo to the cops.
Or have video evidence available in an accident. I know these exist in various forms already, but I know of no built-in, consumer-friendly version.
I hope nobody’s cars look like Figure 11. To be honest, I thought the smartcar was cool but it’s darn small and cramped looking like a Mini Cooper.
All these could apply to a car as much as to dozen different “things”
Can we drop the iCar name, its the worst name ever. Surely it will be the Apple Car?