Spanish and Japanese groups join on driver assistance
Ficosa links up with the systems and components group Omron in a joint venture to develop driver aids based on vision systems
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Opel claims first with traffic sign detection unit
GM's European arm has been working with Hella on a system that will flash up speed signs and other relevant information on the dashboard
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Small unit transmits vehicle tracking data
Telit and Xirgo Technologies combine to produce a small on-board device to transmit information to fleet owners
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Ford set to put speech recognition into Focus and C-Max
The cars will get a new human-machine interface from Blaupuinkt that includes voice recognition and text to speech technologies from Nuance
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Ricardo joins intelligent transport systems group
The engines consultancy is linking with other UK groups in a government-backed scheme to sort out congestion
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Through the Grapevine
Car can talk to car in systems that are just starting to come on to the market. Automotive Engineer investigates
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Visteon puts wireless phone charger into cars
Group says that it cuts down the hassle associated with introducing consumer electronics devices into vehicles
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Touchscreens heading for mainstream markets
Johnson Controls' new system could bring them into the range of cheaper vehicles
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Toyota's map system updates within a week
Japanese carmaker has a system that shows local road changes much faster than nationwide systems achieve
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Navigation kit links up with vehicle electronics
Deal between TomTom and Johnson Controls sees navigation aids integrated with electronics inside the vehicle
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Navigator tells you exactly where you are
If you're up the creek without a paddle and with a very weak signal, the new system will manage to find you. Or so it says
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Auto-txt tracks vehicles through mobile phones
A new telematic security system tracks vehicles through links to drivers' Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and PDAs
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VW supports telematics initiative
As part of the Group research programme, Volkswagen is working on customer-orientated solutions for car drivers and is supporting the Landesinitiative Telematik, a regional telematics initiative launched by the German state of Lower Saxony.
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IBM's new software architecture
IBM has developed a new telematics software platform for DaimlerChrysler subsidiary Fleetboard, a leading provider of fleet-management solutions and telematics-based internet services, to further strengthen its position across the European market.
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When dreams become reality
Sitting the house or maybe getting dressed ready to go off to work it suddenly occurs to you that you might need to change your plans, because you think the car might need some fuel, and the extra 10 minutes needs to be factored into the equation.
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