CES 2022: Ambient Computing Integrations Announced for Vehicles

As technology has grown to be a cornerstone of daily life — from your average voice assistant to turn-by-turn navigation, smart home hubs, and much more — it makes perfect sense that the experience will eventually become seamless across all platforms and devices. We’re already there with many platforms but Google and Amazon are pushing to make it even more of a reality with ambient computing technologies, and the next frontier is the modern vehicle.

Imagine moving from your home to your vehicle with no interruptions in the features, functionality, and user experiences that are accessible to you. To include even the streaming services you use while on the road, from Netflix to Prime Video.

At CES 2022, Amazon and Google have been showing off technologies that would see these kinds of experiences, made available to us real soon. More specifically, the two tech giants have made it clear that many more ambient computing integrations are coming to modern vehicles this year and beyond.

What Is Ambient Computing?

Ambient computing, also referred to as an ambient system strategy, is about bridging the user experience and accessibility gaps between platforms through cloud computing and AI. In layman’s terms, the technology will empower and provide a host of digital tools and experiences within the integrated vehicles. It’s more than just hands-free tools and voice assistance, as it will also provide in-cabin entertainment, navigation, infotainment support, e-commerce opportunities, and even maintenance tools.

Think of it as a highly intelligent and internet-enabled cockpit for your vehicle, or a more futuristic heads-up display. The premiere example, or what Amazon and a company called Stellantis showed off at CES 2022, is the STLA SmartCockpit. Stellantis is the maker of auto brands like Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler, if you’re not familiar. 

Set to debut in millions of consumer vehicles by 2024, the STLA SmartCockpit platform will merge many of the aforementioned experiences through an intelligent, adaptive user interface. Over time, it will also learn and adapt to user interests and behaviors, effectively providing passengers with an ideal and personalized vehicle platform. Stellantis customers will even be able to interact with and control their vehicles from Alexa-enabled devices within their home, including compatible Echo speakers and from within the Alexa smartphone app. Why? Well, you can do things like turn on the climate control and cool down a hot vehicle before a drive.

Future Jeep models might come with a digital “coach” to provide extra assistance for trips. While going off-road, for instance, it might walk owners through calibrating their vehicle for uncertain terrain. Alternatively, Chrysler family vehicles might include a similar virtual coach to help plan road trips, pick out sightseeing spots, or find restaurants.

Similar things can be done for navigation and entertainment. BMW will be delivering a movie-theater-like experience within its vehicles thanks to Amazon’s Fire TV streaming platform. The Ford Explorer and Lincoln Navigator will also feature Fire TV in 2022 models.

The In-Vehicle Ambient Computing Race Is on

Of course, the Amazon and Stellantis partnership isn't the only one driving the ambient computing space to new heights, Google is also working with various automakers to integrate in-car experiences within upcoming vehicles. For example, later this year a fruitful matchup with Volvo will see Google’s technology introduced within many of its vehicles. Compatible systems will be able to access YouTube for entertainment and support, Google Assistant for hands-free and intelligent controls, and much more — and it will also be paired with Google’s Android Auto platform.

Google even provides a digital automotive key service, alongside Samsung, which utilizes Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology to unlock cars when you’re nearby. You’ll need an authorized device, of course, like Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel smartphones. That will be rolling out to more vehicles later this year. There will also be an option to share your digital keys with friends and family, providing them temporary access to your vehicle(s).

It Sounds Great, but What’s the Endgame?

Unfortunately, it’s not feasible to include the kind of power and hardware necessary to run a lot of these platforms, physically inside vehicles. That’s where ambient computing shines. Through cloud computing and AI technologies, these in-vehicle systems can sync up, if you will, to access incredibly powerful hardware and a host of additional support. This offers several benefits overall.

For starters, the security is much better as the bulk of the hardware is maintained remotely, and by capable professionals — namely third-party services like Amazon Web Services. While yes, there are ways to improve AWS security client-side, the servers will likely bear the brunt of an attack should the time come. Providers are often much more capable and have the resources to deal with such a thing. Not to mention all that goes hand-in-hand with managing the powerful hardware, required software, and maintenance.

Next, it reduces the performance strain on the client systems, namely those physically installed within the vehicle(s). They’re able to tap into remote computing and cloud AI support while requiring infinitely fewer resources, and, given a solid wireless connection, with incredibly fast response times too.

The endgame then is to bring the kinds of highly-capable and powerful technologies we have in our smartphones and our homes, to the modern vehicle. An emphasis will be placed on vehicular-friendly experiences, of course, prioritizing hands-free operation and so on. Amazon is already aiming for its home-based “ambient computing” technologies to fade into the background. Vehicle support systems must do that and more.

Stellantis’ STLA SmartCockpit platform, for example, will utilize Amazon Web Services, to leverage the added power and cloud support. It will also include an app and e-commerce marketplace for vehicle entertainment systems, and Google will likely do the same with what it rolls out. 

For developers, this provides another opportunity to refine and create applications, specifically for use in modern vehicles. The potential here is incredible, especially since we’re hot off the heels of the release of AWS App Runner — an excellent service to deploy containerized applications. You can create an app and deploy it across all similar platforms, regardless of the vehicle’s brand or installed hardware.

New Developer Marketplaces Are Emerging

For developers and software engineers, these ambient computing experiences mean an entirely new channel of business, or rather a series of new platforms to leverage. Both the software and the applications that will be available for these systems — just like the applications that already exist — will need to be created and supported. 

Google’s Android Auto connects smartphones and vehicles to mirror mobile content on a vehicle’s dash or navigation display, but it still requires a phone to operate. Future platforms, on the other hand, supported by ambient computing technologies, will be running natively on the vehicle’s infotainment systems. It’s going to be an entirely new developer marketplace rife with opportunity, but it could also make or break a lot of these platforms. A lack of support could be a death knell. Time will tell.

The good news, however, is that ambient computing is already on its way, and will begin making waves in consumer-owned vehicles later this year, as well as in the years ahead.