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Java hits the road
Wireless communication and the Internet promise to transform the car into an 'Intelligent Networked Vehicle'
1 - PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA - In the not-too-distant future, all vehicles will have their own websites. Vehicle service providers (Not Garages!) will monitor individual cars and inform their drivers of needed maintenance or repairs. Automobiles running low on fuel will communicate with nearby eGasStations regarding price of petrol, available movies for downloading, food services, etc.
2 - This is the scenario envisioned by Sun Microsystems Chairman and Founder Scott McNealy, who views the car as a "Java browser on wheels." He believes that the telematics industry promises big revenue-generating possibilities for those suppliers who foresee, and prepare for, the automobile's coming relationship with the Internet.
3 - To stimulate such thinking and demonstrate the concept, Sun has launched two projects, linked together for the first time at Covergence 2000, the biennial automotive electronics show held last autumn in Detroit. (…)
The eGasStation.
4 - The Sun eGasStation project demonstrates how the local petrol stop can act as a host for interactions with a Java-enabled car.
5 - At the eGasStation, Java technology and the Internet remotely monitor and control gas pumps, point-of-sale systems, and other service station devices. The Java technology-based control system communicates with the Java technology-enabled car via wireless access. A web-browser shows automotive diagnostic status and information on the gas pump display.
6 - Data downloads and uploads occur during fueling. For example, a car's operating history can be downloaded to collect operations and status information. Movies can be uploaded to the vehicle's infotainment system from an eGasStation's server, keeping the children in the back seat occupied during the trip.
7 - For the retailer, there are several benefits:
- Real-time knowledge of what gasoline
products are selling by location, for optimal product supply and distribution.
- Remote monitoring and maintenance of
gasoline pumps.
- Inventory tracking.
- Sale of operating data to parts supplier
and other third parties.
8 - A number of major petroleum companies
are in negotiations for evaluation of the technology at gas stations.
David Bak, Editor-in-Chief
February 2001 Global Design News page 21Test Yourself