In this day and age that promotes speedy innovations in the world of technology, companies have been procuring partnerships in order to keep up.
The latest of this general trend in the tech industry was recently founded by LG and Volkswagen (VW), placing both companies in a joint pact to promote innovative research in the production and development of connected-car services.
While other companies aim to produce self-driving cars, which until recently have yet to become a fully established and completely safe reality, the Korea-based electronics manufacturer and Germany-based automotive maker are focusing on more "achievable" and "near-term" strategies, enabled by the current technologies found in cloud services and the Internet of Things (IoT). This current reality reportedly makes this joint venture a highly productive one.
As a matter of fact, VW earlier debuted its BUDD-e concept during the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2016), which showcased a seemingly futuristic car model that "thinks, learns, [and] understands us." It was also at the CES back in January when the company unveiled its future plans to collaborate with the LG company to further develop its BUDD-e concept.
About six months later and here we are, witnessing the companies sign a "memorandum of understanding on joint research and development of a next-generation connected car service platform."
The partnership was agreed upon by VW representatives: Robert Kattner (head of vehicle information systems) and Thomas Form (head of electronics and vehicle research); and LG representatives: Richard Choi (head of LG's cloud center) and Lee Sang-yong (head of LG's vehicle infotainment system research lab).
The signed agreement entails that both companies will be focusing on three major aspects in the coming months:
• Bridging the connection between a vehicle and smart home to give drivers the ability to control IoT-enabled devices in their homes from within the confines of a car on the road.
• Development of a car feature that displays relative information to the driver, i.e., traffic reports and weather updates, while at the same time, maintaining a necessary level of safety precautions.
• The production of a next-gen infotainment system for connected-cars that should be able to run all of these features intuitively and smoothly.
"Going forward, the two companies will work together on Volkswagen's Cross-Over-Platform, which is aimed at enhanced vehicle connectivity and convenience," VW writes in a press release. "Using the latest in cloud technology, it will offer drivers seamless digital access to extensive features such as smart home and location-based services."
Photo: Maurizio Pesce | Flickr
