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I guess Ford already patented something like this but it would be nice to have it open source too.
http://www.biometricupdate.com/201502/ford-granted-patent-fo...
First off this looks cool. But these 4G connected smart ODB dongles scare the crap out of me. You are giving an IOT device the ability to disable breaks, the transmission, and lock you inside. I'm not really worried about a Maximum Overdrive type situation, giving this much control to a category of devices that was able to take down Dyn because so many of these devices used a subset of 60 common factory default usern…
There is some danger of control over the interface, but the interface does not specify any control operations beyond resetting diagnostic codes. The vulnerabilities in the interface stem from automakers repurposing the protocol, and are model/maker specific.
It seems like another protocol would only help if it defined control mechanisms so that carmakers would stop abusing OBD2.
Question to HN: What can Alexa/GA integration enable in a car other than the mundane music search, ask directions, etc. scenarios? How many of you would want to use it to send short messages (e.g. "Sorry!" after cutting someone off) to a small LED display mounted on your rear bumper?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've seen people use Google Voice in a loud bar. It seemed to be effective. I can't get Siri to work under those conditions, however. The noise should be a solvable problem.
Yeah, Google's voice recognition has worked for me everywhere, even loud clubs. It's quite magical. I'm sure it would work in the car. Now, whether I would trust Google with that data is a different question. (Spoiler: no.)
If you have a phone with a high-quality mic, mount it in the right spot, and speak loudly, it can usually get the job done though.
Performance in general has gotten a lot better in recent years, though it's tough to call it a "solved problem".
Cool, and no offense, but let me know when a third party reviews it. Voice recognition and personal assistants are annoying enough in a quiet house (but arguably useful). I would be surprised if it is useful yet in a noisy moving car.
The experience is still uneven. There are times when I'm amazed the recognition and language models could pick out proper names of friends and other times when I'm red in the face shouting "I SAID 'PLEASE GET CELERY', NOT 'PLEASE SELL TO ME!'"
For the time being, we still need analog button backups to handle the cases where speech rec fails or routinely misinterprets. The long tail of error cases can actually be even more dangerous for the driver than a simple button press, since they can take your mind off the road for several seconds.
First off this looks cool. But these 4G connected smart ODB dongles scare the crap out of me. You are giving an IOT device the ability to disable breaks, the transmission, and lock you inside. I'm not really worried about a Maximum Overdrive type situation, giving this much control to a category of devices that was able to take down Dyn because so many of these devices used a subset of 60 common factory default usern…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is not equivalent. The key distinction in the device from OP's post is that it actually connects to the OBD port in your car, giving you a direct connection the cars systems. The one you linked does not seem to do that at all.
Indeed but one has to question whether you actually want that level of control exposed given the dangers it presents. There's a lot to be said for air gapping critical systems.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Indeed but one has to question whether you actually want that level of control exposed given the dangers it presents. There's a lot to be said for air gapping critical systems.
Given how the most sought-after car today literally receives driving instructions through an OTA update, I've got a feeling we've all collectively decided we're ok with the dangers this brings, even if we didn't actually take part in that discussion :-/
Some cars are built this way too, thankfully.