Basic HTML Version
beginning to roll out voice-
activated in-car infotainment
systems, Ford’s Sync system
is entering its third genera-
tion. This means it not only
is be er at recognizing voice
commands—to find everything
from an address in the naviga-
tion system to a specific Beatles
song on your iPhone—but also
offers full integration with apps
such as Pandora, Slacker and
NPR, so you can quickly swap
“All Things Considered” for a
classic rock medley with just a
few words.
“To make our cars smart, we’ve
spent a lot of time reaching out
to the consumer electronics
industry,” Mascarenas says.
Ford’s early collaboration with
Microso on the Sync system
turned out to be a prescient
move, taking into account
the shi from proprietary
hardware-based solutions for
in-car infotainment to open-
source, easy-to-upgrade
so ware solutions: mobile apps.
Ford is also working on a
number of other innovations,
from seatbelts that inflate into
air bags to a heart-rate monitor
built right into the car. The lat-
ter, which was demonstrated in
the recent Evo cloud-connected
concept car shown at Berlin’s
IFA consumer electronics show,
can send instant updates to
your doctor wire-
lessly, as well as
activate soothing
music and lighting to
calm you down and
lower your heart rate.
Other forward-looking projects
include closed Wi-Fi networks
that allow cars in close proxim-
ity to “talk” to each other to
prevent collisions and suggest
speeds to their respective
drivers that maximize traffic
flow. “Our goal is to be not just
a leading car company,” says
Mascarenas, “but also a leading
technology company.”
PAUL MASCARENAS
/
AGE
50 /
FROM
ILFORD, ENGLAND /
LIVES IN
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICH. /
PREVIOUS GIG
VICE PRESIDENT OF VEHICLE ENGINEERING, GLOBAL
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, FORD MOTORS
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
/
JANUARY 2012
p072-079_HEM0112_techies.indd 77
05/1