It's the year 2007, and there are still no flying cars. According to the science fiction literature of 50 years ago, we should all be flying around our mile-high office buildings in 5-seated hover cars that are capable of landing on the roofs of skyscrapers above the clouds. Unfortunately, that dream is still not yet realized.
But the innovations that the industry is showing are quite surprising nevertheless. Take car design, for instance. Several concept models are available at this Seoul Motor Show 2007, and more are being made all the time. The futuristic, sleek Hyundai HED-4 certainly looks like it could fly.
Another aspect of the HED-4 is the materials used to produce the car. Using these composite materials, supplied by GE Plastic, results in cars that are also becoming more lightweight and possibly also more suited to flight. New post-industrial materials are also being used in the 2008 Ford Escape and several other auto brands.
But the most significant trend in the automotive industry that indicates a significant step into the next generation of car development is the amount of electronic equipment added into new car designs.
Long gone are the days when 4 cylinders and an axle were enough to get people around. Now, according to industry analysts, automotive electronics account for over 20 percent of a vehicle's total cost. Furthermore, the amount of electronics is projected to increase to 40 percent in the next 3 years.
A rise in electronic devices means a rise in semiconductors used in car designs. And semiconductor usage in the automotive industry has been growing steadily by billions of dollars every year, with no sign of stopping. This is excellent news for any country with a strong semiconductor and automotive industry such as Korea. This country is in a good position to take advantage of such a trend.
But what are all these electronic gizmos being used for There are four different categories in which semiconductors are being used. The first can be called mechanics management.
The second category could be called driver management. The third is communications and infotainment, and the last is consumer convenience.
Semiconductors are being used in a variety of way to manage and regulate the mechanical processes of automobiles. From electronic suspension systems to braking, power steering, airbag deployment, and even regulating the gearbox, electronics are being utilized in every aspect of a car's function.
Drivers are also getting more electronic assistance in a variety of ways. Systems for night vision can help drivers to see objects better in low light conditions. Small and cheap sensors can be installed on a car to signal for a variety of different situations, from collision warnings to lane change warnings.
Car voice recognition, once thought to be the exclusive privilege of Bruce Wayne and Michael Knight, is now a reality for normal citizens. Even tire pressure and cruise controls can be monitored by electronic equipment and the results displayed on a projected windshield image.
A newer aspect of automotive electronics is communications an infotainment. This is what keeps children from asking the question, "Are we there yet" Most portable and semi-portable electronic entertainment devices have been integrated into car design already. Multimedia systems, game consoles, and high quality audio systems can all be found within today's automobiles for passengers.
Also, navigation and telematics systemsare beginning to provide more information for the driver, and these systems can also be used to watch entertainment, even while driving.
All the convenient amenities that one associates with a good car are also being supervised by semiconductors. Lights, seats, air conditioning and windshield wipers are not simply mechanical operations any longer. In addition, cars manufacturers have been able to provide remote keyless entry for their vehicles for quite some time now. All of these technologies are provided by simple, effective electronics devices.
Cars can already do such a variety of things. How much more difficult can flight be A highly-regulated automated flying car with collision detection, voice recognition, night vision and remote keyless entry is entirely plausible given today's technology.
Some country's industry, preferably a country with a strong grounding in automotive and information technologies and a bad ground traffic problem, should take the initiative and put it all together in a flying car.
