iPhone

MB offers offline AR app of 1990 + Mercedes Models to first responders

Mercedes-Benz Rescue Assist App ; Mercedes-Benz Rescue Assist App;
Mercedes-Benz Rescue Assist App

The smartpnone/table Rescue Assist App from Mercedes-Benz provides support for emergency services at the scene of an accident through cards three-dimensional views as well as augmented reality imagery.

The updated app is a repository of rescue cards for all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and vans, as well as for some models from Fuso, one of Daimler Trucks’ commercial vehicle brands.

The rescue cards show an overview of safety-critical components such as airbags, batteries and fuel lines. In the case of electric and hybrid vehicles they also show all high-voltage components. With the help of the three-dimensional views, rescue teams are able to work out even more quickly the best and safest place to apply cutters.

The 3D-models can be freely rotated and scaled up or down within the app. Augmented reality images bring further benefits: all the components of the vehicle are rendered in precise, photorealistic detail in images that, to a wide extent, reflect what can be seen of the actual damaged vehicle – a great advantage for the rescue services at the scene of the accident.

A further advantage of the Mercedes-Benz Rescue Assist App is that it is not necessary to have online access. The app also functions offline, thus ensuring that no time is lost during a rescue. Every new Mercedes-Benz, smart and Fuso is fitted as standard with two QR codes, affixed in a clearly visible position on the B-pillars and inside the fuel filler flap. As soon as the QR code is scanned with the camera of the smartphone or tablet, the relevant rescue card will open up in the Rescue  App. Owners of older vehicles can arrange for the appropriate QR code to be retrofitted by their Mercedes-Benz Service Partner.

The Rescue Assist App includes details of all Mercedes-Benz passenger car models built since 1990, along with Mercedes-Benz vans since 1996 and all smart models built since 1998. On the commercial vehicle front, Fuso Canter 467 models from the year 2005 onwards and Canter 468 from 2013 are also included. The app, which is constantly being updated, is available in 24 languages for both iOS and Android devices. It can be downloaded free of charge.

https://youtu.be/BGIfYTFLzBw

Heads up for new connected car HUD for everyone: Carloudy for iPhone & Android

carloudy2Cognitive AI Technologies Inc., is launching Carloudy, a wireless, voice-controlled, automotive head-up display (HUD). The Carloudy shows information on the windshield through a new patented technology. HUD displays on new luxury cars are usually only available in packages that cost a thousand dollars or more, this device is priced comparable to the price of a smartphone or GPS unit.

Carloudy connects to smartphones (Android or iPhone) to display directions, shopping, weather, speed, speed limit and maintenance alerts. Carloudy has a working prototype and is ready for full production. Their PR team will be in San Francisco next week giving demos to tech reporters.

The lightweight  Carloudy device weigh less than nine ounces and is about the size of greeting card (approx.: 6.5” x 5” x 0.4”). It rests on a driver’s dashboard.

Through voice commands, drivers interact with Carloudy through their smartphones and have key data displayed on any car’s windshield. Carloudy’s patent-pending design uses the reflective nature of its 6” electronic paper display (EPD) to harvest energy from external light sources – providing a clear, semi-transparent display on the windshield in all conditions (direct sunlight to darkness) without quickly depleting a battery or overheating. Competing products rely on a fan-cooled, energy-intensive projector to show images on a screen than can suck up power and also use the much needed charging port.

Carloudy is controlled by voice commands via Bluetooth on steering wheels—hands and fingers never have to leave the wheel.

“Carloudy fully integrates the driver with his or her car and the outside world by wirelessly connecting Carloudy to a smartphone and to the car’s computer with a Bluetooth OBDII adapter,” explained Javy Kong, Ph.D., founder of Cognitive AI Technologies Inc. “We designed Carloudy so drivers can safely interact with their smartphones and our system while driving. For example, we opted against gesture controls to eliminate distractions and accidental commands. As experts in cognitive science, we focused on the most useful information drivers need, using simple icons and images.”

Carloudy does not enable email, Twitter or texting, which Dr. Kong believes are distractions that put drivers and pedestrians at risk. Other Carloudy features include:

  • Use with both iOS (4S or later model iPhones) and Android smartphones.
  • Turn-by-turn navigation.
  • Works with Bluetooth-enabled audio controls and after-market Bluetooth controllers.
  • Speed and speed limit; parking and traffic information; gas station and restaurant searches.
  • Completely silent, with no moving parts.
  • Battery lasting weeks on a single charge.
  • One-year warranty and online customer support.
  • Designed with safety in mind by a Ph.D.-level expert in cognitive artificial intelligence.

HUD systems have been used in military aircraft, and high-performance and luxury cars. But Carloudy makes a HUD system available for any vehicle for an introductory, preorder price of $179 – nearly 40 percent less than several top competing products. Carloudy expects to deliver pre-orders by mid to late February 2016.

This device should not be confused with Navdy which has not been shipped to buyers since its launch announcement in August 2014.