Project code named "cartroller" begins

Hello and welcome to the weblog of my project that I am code naming "cartroller". The name Cartroller, which is a rough combination of the words "car" and "controller", may very well be the name I decide to use in the end, but until I have made any lasting decisions about it I will hearafter use the name Cartroller for the projects name. The baisic idea behind the project is to design and implement a device, process, and system that will ultimately change the way our control systems in our vehicles interact internally and with the rest of the world. There is alot involved with a project of this magnitude, and I hope to provide some basic insight to the reader each component and phase of the project. I will begin by going back in time to when the idea for this project originally popped into my head. The following was orignally written in January of this year...

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After attending an event at Drexel this past week, I came to the realization that I really need to get more physics in my curriculum. Thus the idea came to light.

Recently, Google unveiled to the world a program that, although not the first of its kind, has caused a "world" wide revolution. Google Earth is an interactive satellite imagery program that, unlike others before it, integrates Google maps with satellite images to display an overhead view of the earth. The user is able to fly over and view nearly the entire earth; he or she enters their desired search point, and fly straight to them. The program also displays everything from the Chinese restaurant around the corner, to the Taj Mahal in India with remarkably good resolution. The capabilities with this program are endless as the program can also display Global Positioning data as well.

When I began using this program nearly a year ago, an idea sparked almost instantly in my head. Why not have google earth in my car, and have it display my position on the overhead satelite images as I travel along? This is completely possible considering Google Earth currently does not need anything other than a computer with the specified requirements. This computer can, with the proper setup, be embedded in the auto mobile and run just as it would out of the car. I then began to think of the limitations, and actual practical use of Google Earth in the car, besides being really cool. There are hundreds of navigation programs out their today; how could a Google Earth navigation program be different? Well besides having an overhead snapshot of your location, and even having a 3-dimensional view of the terrain that you are currently traveling on, a "Google Earth" style navigation system can have many other features which I will get to later.

On my way home from work one afternoon, I was listening to the radio, waiting for the 15 second traffic update, that comes every 30 minutes. Mary, the traffic lady, finally came on and spit out the 50 different freeways that were congested, while I eagerly listened for the code name for the roads that I travel. (I must mention that it took me nearly a year and a half to realize that the road I traveled was code named the "Blue Route".) Once I heard that the road I normally travel was clear, I proceeded toward it. When I arrived to the highway 15 minutes later, traffic was at a stand still. Another 15 minutes past, and Mary returned to inform me of an accident that occurred 5 minutes after her last 15 seconds of split-second traffic scoop. Thanks to Mary's timely traffic report, I began thinking of other uses for a Google Navigation.

A nice and useful feature, that could potentially help with traffic congestion world wide, would be to have real-time traffic data overlay on a navigation system's map. This would provide the driver an awareness of high traffic areas and congestion, and a different route can be taken. To take it even a step further, the navigation system will be able to pinpoint high traffic areas, and suggest a different, less congested route for the driver. The system would then upload the drivers location, speed, and travel destination to a "Traffic mainframe", and this main frame can coordinate traffic by suggesting routes for people according to volume at certain locations, accidents or road construction, and other statistical information. So, for example, if during rush hour 600 cars per minute are headed toward an interchange that becomes congested at a rate of 400 cars per minute, the system will suggest different routes for the people to avoid the traffic jam from ever occurring. A system like this would require a high percentage of the cars to have a navigation system of some sort, that will be capable of communicating to the driver the suggested route.

Currently, nearly all of the navigation systems on the market have some sort of visual display, and cost anywhere from $300 for a lower-end model, to $4000 for the more precise systems. Well in order for a system like this to work, a cheaper alternative is needed, so that ultimately all vehicles can have a navigation system. One way to cut the cost is to get rid of the map display altogether, and have a text display and simple entry system setup. The directions will be displayed as text only on the screen, as well as an audible response of the directions. This could be installed as a head unit add-on, similar to a cd changer, or as a stand-alone unit like the satellite radio stand alone units. A small unit like this would be much more affordable, and the consumer will be attracted to the idea of less traffic....

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So that was how the idea of a car-controlled device came to be. Since then I have brainstormed on the idea, and came up with different methods of making a system of this magnitude feasible.

Phase 1 of the project, which includes the design of the infrastructure of the "carputer" and its components, as well as brainstorming ideas for data transmission to and from the car, will begin today, and updates of the progess made will posted in the coming days.