Now it's a dashtop computer

While it might sound like the stuff of science fiction, experts say intelligent vehicles capable of solving problems are just around the corner. In time, your vehicle will not only talk to you but give you traffic updates in real time and tell you how much credit is available in your tollway account.

Better yet, if you've left the iron switched on or want to walk in the door to an airconditioned home, simply leave it to your trusty car.

“A lot of the technologies we are talking about already exist. Our role is to implement ideas, to build the applications into our cars.

“Imagine being able to control household appliances from the driver's seat or have your car tell you where empty parking spots might be around town.

“The opportunities and benefits are enormous,” he adds.

The key to this futuristic vision is telematics — the science of cars talking to their operators or communicating with the environment around them.

Last week, Australian and Taiwanese scientists met at a series of workshops in Melbourne to discuss partnerships for supply and delivery of telematics technologies they say will transform the auto industry. As well as in-car entertainment systems such as DVDs and internet access for back-seat passengers, experts also predict a quantum leap in road safety. Products featured at the workshops included spectacles that can tell when the driver is falling asleep and a system warning motorists they are approaching a transient zone, such as roadworks or outside schools, where speed limits differ from time to time.

“Take school zones — often there are a lot of road signs on approach, which can be overwhelming and confusing,” Petreski explains. “With a simple e-tag device, the car gives a verbal or audio alert telling the motorist to slow down to the correct speed limit. And in country areas in recent years, we've seen quite a few rail crossing accidents where there has been very little signage or other road warnings.

“Your car will soon be able to tell you that you're approaching

the crossing, enabling you to

slow down or stop.”

Sleep diagnostics technology has also been used to develop special glasses with an infra-red monitor that detects eyelid movements and drowsiness, indicating the driver could be nodding off at the wheel.

Industry experts say all consumers will soon benefit as these advanced systems become standard features.

“Many cars now include navigation systems with some top-of-the-range models including collision avoidance systems, white-line recognition and remote satellite locking and unlocking (using a mobile phone),” says Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (AEEMA) chief executive, Angus Robinson.

Together with ITECplace, AEEMA is putting Australian companies in touch with international partners. And, while some local firms already supply advanced telematic systems to car manufacturers, hundreds more opportunities still exist for local producers to supply car makers around the world, says Robinson.

“The objective of the workshops is to introduce potential partners from Australia and Taiwan and other countries, then give them the tools to share their ideas and open up new markets,” Petreski says.

Other Australian ideas include a mobile-phone-based system that reports where a car is driving 24 hours a day, and an in-car internet system to send an SMS to remind owners their car is due for a service.