And, oh my Lord, you quoted the IEEE. That explains it. The IEEE idea of good is to pack as many electronics into anything it can catch. You can always tell where the IEEE has been because you'll see circuit boards sticking out of the orifices of whatever has had the back luck to have crossed its path. Their opinion is driven strictly by the promotion of their own industry (not the promotion of their engineers, but the promotion of the companies that make up their industry). That's it. Period.
A result is we have cars that accelerate wildly because the mechanical linkage between accelerator pedal and the fuel throttle on the engine has been replaced by a problem-plagued electronic sensor that occasionally tells the throttle to "let 'er rip!" while you are backing up into the church driveway.
Electronics in cars is not always a good idea, or a safe idea.
Plus, I'll tell you a story about safety technology. When I bought a new vehicle once, the sales person (after the sale) warned me to keep the seat as far back as possible, because if the air bag deployed, it could kill my wife, who didn't have enough mass to withstand getting kicked in the chest by a powerful air bag. That's right, you could have a mild accident, which otherwise would be not even cause a scratch, suddenly become a fatality because the stupid air bag deploys, smacks a lightweight person in the chest, and kills 'em. Not so good.
Smarter by half. It's hard to find a modern car with the same gas efficiency of a 1989 Ford Festiva (50 mpg, forget the official figures, because they're wrong). All the other bells and whistles on a modern car, or "car of the future" (it calls your mother for you when you want a bedtime story) are beside the real point of having a car, which is to get from point a to point b with relative comfort, safety, and economy.
That's a key aspect (the feel of the car) that has contributed to a higher percentage of vehicular accidents. When I was a college student, the '74 Pinto shook and vibrated at speeds over 60 mph which made me more conscious of the velocity of I was driving at on the open road. Today's car doesn't "feel" that effect which has allowed most drivers to be oblivious to the speed they may be driving at. And as far as I know nothing electronic has been released to market that reads speed limits based on geo-location or road sign scans. Now there's an idea!
Technology is good, but as we all know that driving require mental and senses alertness. If you leave your driving senses to technology devices, accident is at high risk.
@ prabnakar. That was a brilliant comment you made. so much blame are going to be on the technology and which technology company will always be ready to answer to the consequences of having their devices failing or said to fail.
If this is not handled well, we will be looking in to so much reckless drivers and increase in road accident all in the name of failed technology that is suppose to asist the drivers
You are alright, I,m thinking if we have to have all these conviences in our cars as a result of technology, the question is- would there not be another gadget that allow the driver to do a self -test on all these technology before hitting the road because the best of machine is still machine and the efficiency of every machine is always less than 100%
This is a good article and its really interesting. I am thinking that giving so much comfort to drivers wolud definately have somw adverse effort and what about the effects of this technology on the driver,s health.
@prabhakar Good point. Some other realated thingd to consider as well....what happens if the driver's instinct differs from the technology when reacting to an incident - which one takes control? What if the overall system fails on a massive scale - will traffic come to a standstill ?
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
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.
To save this item to your list of favorite EBN content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
