PUBLISHER'S CORNER TECHNOLOGY: PRESENT, FUTURE AND BEYOND TONY CORPIN, PUBLISHER
Companies like Samsung, LG, Sony, Intel, Yahoo and Google were all on hand, but what stood out to me was the involvement of different global automakers like Audi, BMW, Dodge, Ford, GM, Kia, Tesla and Toyota. Car tech seemed to take center stage at CES. Attendees swarmed around the display vehicles that varied from concept to production models. Te overall themes of each manufacturer were new safety fea- tures, driver experience, in-vehicle software/apps, self driving capabilities and new energy sources like solar and hydrogen. Will some of this new technology find its way into the school bus of the future? Common tech you see in school buses today are back up cameras, on-board navigation, Wi-Fi and GPS
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tracking. Is your fleet outfitted with this technology yet? Meanwhile, new technology that is becoming commonplace in cars but that is not found normally in
school buses includes Bluetooth, digital heads-up displays, in-vehicle iOS/apps and collision-avoidance alerts for side-view mirrors. Tech moves at a blistering pace, but how does an industry like ours capitalize on these new opportunities? Google announced the formation of the Open Automotive Alliance, a group of car and tech companies
looking to standardize on Android as in-car operating systems. Will companies like Google be looking at commercial fleets or maybe school buses to be part of this alliance at some point? As the February issue focuses on special needs transportation, I thought it would be interesting to share
some other things I learned at CES specifically related to the topic. I was introduced to a technology called eye tracking and gaze technology. While walking down the aisles at CES I came across a unique product called the Tobii EyeMobile. It
provides individuals afflicted with spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophy, arthritis and other demobilizing conditions with hands-free access to the full functionality of Windows 8 tablet devices, allowing them to live richer, more independent and fulfilled lives. Te mobile nature of tablets combined with the eye-tracking and gaze capabilities allows users to enjoy
full tablet functionality anywhere, anytime. Te compact device easily mounts to a wheelchair or can be cus- tomized to fit different user scenarios. Is this technology something you might see your special needs kids having in the future, mounted to their wheelchairs? Maybe in the far off future, but this technology could help stem the use of mobile Wi-Fi on special needs school buses. Something else interesting I saw was a robotic arm to help the disabled. It was developed by a young
electrical engineer named Marita Cheng. It can be controlled with a smartphone app, giving the user more control, not just up-down-left-right. “Te hardware and app offer a range of scoops, swoops, twists, and flips. Te onboard camera, which lets the user actually see what they’re interacting with, is an added bonus.” said Cheung. She is very excited about possible integrations with smart glasses, which would allow a disabled person to do just about anything with a combination of eye movements and speech. It’s very exciting to get a glimpse into the future of things to come. I think the students that ride school buses might eventually drive the need for advanced technology, and we as an industry have opportunities to improve safety, efficiency and user satisfaction across the board. Are you ready?
hen you think of technology in our day-to-day lives, products like mobile phones, tablets, computers and flat-screen televisions come to mind. Recently the technology world came together for the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to view and display the latest and greatest in products and gadgets.
82 School Transportation News February 2014
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