Electronics were not to blame for unintended acceleration problems in Toyota vehicles, and for that I am profoundly grateful. Not just because I own a Toyota, but because I wouldn't want to see the electronics industry get a black eye.
That said, I want fewer electronics in my car. Even though my car seems to be performing safely overall, little technical glitches are driving me crazy. Now, it looks as if my local mechanic will need an electrical engineer on hand.
IDC this week announced it would conduct a joint study with the Society of Automotive Engineers on the impact of increased vehicle technology on service, diagnostics, and technician safety. The study targets not only the technicians at dealerships and independent repair facilities, but also the OEMs and suppliers that design, engineer, tool, and produce the vehicles.
Most of the cars produced today have triple the amount of software code in electronic control units (ECUs) per vehicle, compared to previous models, according to IDC. With new electric and hybrid technologies, and the increased number of aftermarket devices in vehicles, the complexity of vehicle system diagnostics and service is intensifying every day.
"The potential needs and gaps in capabilities for servicing new vehicles could have a profound effect on market adoption, OEM warranty repair costs, and technician service efficiency and safety," says Sheila Brennan, program manager, Product Life-Cycle Strategies Practice at IDC Manufacturing Insights.
No kidding. In the past few years, my family's cars -- not all Toyotas -- have failed state inspections because of a faulty tail light connector and an unknown problem that caused the "check engine" light to stay on (an automatic failure in Massachusetts). We've also had two electric windows fall into the door panels (never to be seen again) and broken door handles -- yes, handles -- that cost a fortune to repair because of the electronic locks. Oh, and my friend's car had an automatic sliding door would "go rogue" whenever the car hit a pothole. They never figured that one out.
A number of years ago, a premium car maker scaled back the amount of electronics in its cars because of a "trust" issue. Although there was only a minor technical problem with its steering wheel adjustment, the maker reasoned that, if it didn't act, customers might become distrustful of the car's major electronics systems.
I plead guilty to that charge.
As it turns out (pun intended), my engine light problem was solved by driving a long distance, and I'm managing to live with one door out of action. Car makers are clearly focusing on the big stuff. But my enthusiasm for auto electronics has been dampened by these mishaps. The fewer electronics our mechanic has to deal with, the better.
I would definitely trust electronics more than mechanical since the wear and tear are more. after seeing the google automated car I am clueless how cars will be in the future. such amazing integration created between sensors, some electronic technology with software becoming the back bone. electronics has gone far far..and will go a long way...
As Steve Wozniak (the real brain behind Apple) recently groused, we have gone too far putting electronics into control of everything, for all of these things will eventually fail. Perhaps we will have to start worrying about the the effect of sunspots or EMPs from nuclear accidents or from space causing massive damage to memory and cpus. Even without considering massive failures, critical industrial and military systems were designed with substantial redundancy, which I never see in consumer electronics.
We are a lot closer to this than many people realize. Researchers (Steve Savage & Yoshi Kohno)actually demonstrated the attack last year on a vehicle, in many cases this was a standard vehicle with on-board computer system, not linked to the internet.
For some reason it has only just started to become a hot topic recently, with a number of press organizations jumping on it.
There is a bit more indepth material here: Hacking cars
As regards repairing cars with modern technology I would guess that it will become similar to the way they repair a computerized washing machine or air conditioner , the 'engineer' will just be a glorified component remove and replace droid, maybe at sometime in the future even the people that design the systems will not know exactly how they work.
There must be a break point where the human mind is no longer capable of keeping track of all the details that relate to a given device and its subcomponents.
I had a hard time deciding on this. Whether I trust a more 'mechanic' car or an 'electronic' car. Since my background is in electronics, I'm tempted to go with it but, while, mechanics are old fashioned and less efficient, they are more predictable (and that, somehow, makes them more trustworthy).
Security has a whole new meaning, here. Originally, keypad/electronic locks were to keep the car safe from thieves and carjackers...now we need to worry about hackers. Actually, I think we are still a long way away from that.
On a side note, some of the newer industries in Mass. are having trouble finding workers that can operate the high-tech gear that is now part of manufacturing. I wonder if franchises like Toyota provide training for their dealers. I would imagine they do, but that doesn't help the local mechanic
Good coverage Barbara! Made me miss my '74 Pinto Wagon. Now that was an easy car to fix! And when the door handle button broke, I simply needed a pencil to get the door open. No EE degree necessary!
The generation of automobiles that emphasizes fuel-efficiency and compactness was accompanied by a radically different maintenance use case. While foreign cars were a boon for the average consumer, the savvy auto enthusiasts and friendly neighborhood garage mechanics were left scratching their heads. Maintenance personnel have to be trained in the specifics by a manufacturer training program to deal with the intricacies of fuel injection and carburation and microprocessor engine regulation.
This was status quo for decades and came to dominate the industry. It works well because it's a closed system. The Toyota glitch certainly made a splash, but I think a lot of the problem was the extremely proprietary way in which Toyota regarded the protocols, programming and processor design in their vehicles.
Connecting something with critical real-time functionality to the cloud seems like a bad idea, especially as much of cloud computing functionality is still in the pilot stage. Internet security is really not such a mission impossible, it's all about keeping critical data and apps in a closed system, and connecting to the net *not* as an administrator, with a system not prone to permissions elevation exploits.
This is the case with any modern elctonics in the different applications. Electronics are moving to everywhere. The automotives are the one area where the manufacturers trying to add more n more stuff to make it smarter. But this not just adds the intelligence but also the complexity. Even with real stringent requirements on the quality of automotive electronics there is still lot of issues with the electronics.
Electronics is an inevitable evolution in all areas of life.
I agree with Parser, mechanics have no choice but to upgrade their skills to contain some electronics specific to the model of cars they work on or all models if they can.
Just think how electronics has taken over the medical sector, i don't knwo how hard they are finding it, but i know they have no choice because the benefits are obvious.
The same goes with cars as well.
Again as for security, this is just like the social network and mobile issues we've discussed on this forum, i believe a standard for security will come up soon, but till then, i hope no one finds his car turnig right when he means to turn left becuase someone has hacked into it.
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Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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