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University of Michigan Students Develop Innovative In-Car Applications with Ford and Microsoft

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

As part of a 12-week research course, Cloud Computing in the Commute, six teams of University of Michigan students developed innovative in-car applications using Ford's developmental application platform built on Windows 7 and Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio. The winning application, Caravan Track, allows clusters of vehicles to track each other along a journey, providing users with real-time feedback and social networking features. This project showcases the collaborative spirit between Ford, Microsoft, and the University of Michigan, which aims to harness the power of cloud computing and social networks to deliver a personalized in-car experience.

Key Takeaways:

  • Six teams of University of Michigan students developed innovative in-car applications using Ford's developmental application platform built on Windows 7 and Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio.
  • The winning application, Caravan Track, allows clusters of vehicles to track each other along a journey, providing users with real-time feedback and social networking features.
  • The application will run on a Windows 7 PC in a Ford Fiesta research vehicle during the "American Journey 2.0" road trip to Maker Faire in Silicon Valley.
  • The road trip will cover over 1,400 miles and showcase the potential of cloud computing and social networks in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the in-car experience.
  • The students used cloud-based services such as Windows Azure to access vehicle performance data, networking services, voice recognition, and social networking tools.
  • The collaborative research project represents a developmental shift for Ford, which is looking to use novel models of open collaboration similar to those in Silicon Valley to drive innovation.

Statistics:

  • 6 teams of University of Michigan students developed innovative in-car applications.
  • The winning application, Caravan Track, was developed by John Ciccone, Collin Hockey, Sang Park, and Joe Phillips.
  • The "American Journey 2.0" road trip will cover over 1,400 miles from Ann Arbor to Maker Faire in Silicon Valley.
  • The road trip will showcase the potential of cloud computing and social networks in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the in-car experience.
  • 100 days was the approximate timeframe for students to create fun, unique, and really useful results.

Sources:

  • Ford Motor Company
  • University of Michigan
  • Microsoft Corporation
  • Intel Corporation
  • PRNewswire-FirstCall
  • (NYSE: F)
  • SOURCE Ford Motor Company

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