Technology has come a long way from the days of the rotary phone. Today we have the power to tell our cellphones to send text messages to friends, or we ask our smart home to dim the lights, but until recently, cars didn’t have nearly as many features as our smaller gadgets. The Japanese powerhouse known as Nissan has taken normal standards in their competitors and turned the volume up to 11, adding some of the most progressive and advanced technology that the future has to offer. The creations Nissan has unveiled (and the ones they’ve yet to reveal) are changing the modern car.
“Hey Google!”
While voice technology has been in cars since 2004, Nissan is setting itself apart from the pack by adding features in its own system. Unlocking your car doors is now a matter of saying, “Alexa, tell NissanConnect to unlock my Altima.” By connecting your phone’s voice control to the car’s infotainment system, the need for a clunky magnetic phone stand is instantly gone. Flashing your lights or honking your horn are among the many demands you can use. Their voice and navigational system also helps you if you’re ever having one of those scorching days at the amusement park, gazing over seas and seas of vehicles trying to remember if you parked in D-1 or C-3. With NissanConnect, you’ll be able to find where you parked and have the car already cooled down to 77° before you get inside. Nearly 5,000 car deaths in 2018 were due to cell phone distractions. Creating an easier hands-free process with smarter AI can help lessen the tragedies and make the journey smoother.
360° Protection
Those with driving concerns and worries of getting into an accident can turn to Nissan for safety and attention to detail, like an extended warranty on new Nissan vehicles or redesigning models for engineering sustainability. Tech Drive is a one of a kind design that allows the driver to be protected from every angle of the car while driving. Automatic braking for pedestrians, lane-correction, blind-spot warning, and assisted backing up are just a few of the added benefits of Tech Drive. Nissan has already won multiple Top Safety Picks from IIHS, and these extra measures ensure more safety awards. Not only does the company allow a tour online through virtual reality, but Nissan has also employed the use of VR from Haptx in the conceptualization and design of their prototypes. While other cars decide to stay comfortably where they are, Nissan has been putting effort into perfecting standards.
Going Above And Beyond
Voice assistance and intelligent driving are great technological advancements in the car industry, but Nissan has taken it a step further with autonomous driving. Brought into the elite market by Tesla, Nissan is now working on their own completely autonomous car without the Tesla price tag. After hiring a former NASA robotics researcher, Nissan is now trying to implement into their cars the same technology as the Mars Rover. Using a system called SAM, or Seamless Autonomous Mobility, the creation includes LIDAR, an array of digital cameras, lasers and radars. While they’re working out the kinks, the collaboration with former NASA members signals the potential for revolutionary designs.
Every day, hundreds of millions of people pass each other at 60 miles an hour, sometimes without a care in the world. The thrill of accelerating through downtown or the calm of Sunday driving down the coastline are great moments to have in your car. Particular innovations from Nissan could help make these moments more reliably safe, and create an easier, all around less stressful experience in getting to your destination.