At what point does adding technology to the automobile become stupid? I’m sure most of you will have the knee-jerk “it already has” response, and I don’t blame you for that, but think about what’s on the market right now: you have useful bits like cruise control, parking sensors, GPS navigation, auto dimming headlights, rain-sensitive wipers, and the like. You have comfort and entertainment systems that are worlds away from what was available even in the 1990s. Spare the judgement, because I love having satellite radio and the ability to plug my phone in and play pretty much whatever the hell I want on a sound system that absolutely rocks, and if you haven’t had your rear cheeks in a set of cooling seats, you don’t know what you’re missing.
Then there is this thing. No, it’s more than just a riced-out Ford Focus RS. This is a car that has been hardwired to demonstrate visually the excitement level that comes from driving the car. It is part of a study that Ford has been carrying out to attempt to figure out how to incorporate human emotion into the driver experience, and worryingly enough, to have the vehicle respond to your emotions.
Um, question: why do MY emotions require MY CAR to respond? It’s not a ****ing Tamagotchi, it’s a Ford. It’s a car. It only needs certain inputs from me: throttle input, brake input, steering input, and system controls. That’s it. I don’t care how quickly this ultra-connected car bullshit is coming to life, there is no need for my car to respond emotionally to me, to you, to anyone. It’s a machine. It’s meant to do one thing: provide a way for me to be mobile without the use of an animal or my own two feet. That’s it.
Can you imagine it? A hard day at work, you’re pissed off, and you finally make it through the rain to your car. You hit the start button and you are informed that you are limited to 10% throttle because your anger might cause you to speed. Meanwhile, the stereo is locked into 101.7 Sea Breeze FM, the home of ethereal music and the seat coolers are on max in an attempt to calm you down. Then, when that annoyance peaks, your car shuts down and notifies you that it has called you a driverless taxi to take you home for the night.
What world is this?!
Being the 70 year old grumpy bastard that I am I can see where this could be a good thing . If you get to pissed off enough and it stops running leaving you on the side of the road and Doctor Phil comes on the radio just get out and throw rocks at the fucking thing .
“What world is this?”
It’s a world where manufacturers use brain dead morons in unhinged focus groups to decide what the next over priced useless gadget they foist off on us will be.
Can they teach a car to be very very afraid when it quits on me?
This man is asking the real questions here.
I hope cars one day have AI so I can tell it to STFU.
My cars and trucks (all from the 60s) show my emotions very well.
Especially when I’m pissed off at the Prius driving, phone looking, non paying attention little bastard or bastardette in front of me.
Then when I’m listening to 60s or 70s rock I’m good and mellow and my car shows that as well.
What’s the big deal?
I can see it. The car does all you claim, you respond, appropriately by getting some old fashion plastic explosives. It calls ATF, you go to jail for attempted murder of a Ford. Don’t buy a Ford, don’t go to jail.
What does the car do for me when I\’m feelin\’ sessy?