Clemson Ph.D. students develop award-winning, automotive-friendly applications
As the automotive industry begins to churn out more vehicles with online capabilities, researchers at Clemson University are working on specific Internet applications to enhance the driving experience.
Ph.D. students Pablo Sauras-Perez and Andrea Gil submitted their ideas to the 2013 Global Connected Car Contest, winning two out of the six categories. The researchers will now travel to Silicon Valley to meet with industry experts to begin work on the prototypes.
“It was an international contest, so there were submissions from all over the world,” Gil said. “It means we’re doing something right.”
Gil’s app, Ready2Pick, would allow drivers to stay on the road as they order from businesses with drive-thru service, while Sauras-Perez’s app, ParkinGain, would help drivers find the best parking spots and feed the meter without going back to their cars.
Research professor Joachim Taiber said the ideas struck the right balance with their business models, market opportunities and technology.
“The trip to Palo Alto will give Sauras-Perez and Gil an opportunity to introduce their ideas to a larger team, including companies that could turn their concepts into reality,” he said. “I hope they can make some connections to startup teams that bring this to the next level.”
Sauras-Perez said ParkinGain would help drivers find a spot based on location, travel time and how far they would have to walk to reach their destination.
The app would make parking cheaper, more convenient and less time-consuming for drivers while increasing business for parking companies, he said. Once parked, drivers would receive a message when their time is expired and have a chance to renew their parking time without walking back to the meter.
Sauras-Perez said users would be faced with a choice: “‘Do I want to pay more to park in front of the place I’m going to, or do I want to pay less and walk five minutes?”
The app could also reduce traffic congestion and emissions, he said. Drivers looking for parking cause an average of 30 percent of the downtown traffic in cities, according to Donald Shoup, a professor of urban planning at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Sauras-Perez has also identified the possibility of restaurants and shops offering digital coupons when drivers park close by.
The app could be used in a car, smartphone or global positioning system, he said.
The business would be supported through a participation fee paid by on-street and parking garage companies, shops and restaurants.
While ParkinGain would steer drivers to better parking, Ready2Pick would help both drivers and passengers stay busy while idling in traffic, Gil said.
The app would suggest restaurants and stores closest to the users, she said. Drivers could place an order with voice or touch control, or a passenger could use a mobile device or in-car display.
The app focuses on food and groceries because the drive-thru infrastructure is already in place, but it could be broadened to include any kind of service, Gil said.
Ready2Pick would also show estimated wait times at drive-thrus and routes to restaurants and stores, she said. It would notify drivers about sales in the area while providing digital coupons.
Gil said ads played on the radio would match driver preferences, and they would be able to click the dashboard to share on social media or have a coupon downloaded to a phone.
“From the moment a car is connected to the Internet, you are opening a new marketing channel for location-based services,” she said. “This will help to broaden the reach of behavioral advertising, and when you are connected to the Internet, you become more aware of your surroundings and can exchange information with it.”
Gil said the main source of revenue would come from a transaction fee paid by companies that use the application for advertising.
Both Gil and Sauras-Perez said their applications could be ready for market in one to three years.
“You have to see the big picture,” Sauras-Perez said. “Technology is awesome, but you need business models to make its development sustainable.”
Frederick Cartwright, executive director of CU-ICAR, said industry and consumers are looking for smarter mobility solutions.
“Projects such as these reinforce CU-ICAR’s global reputation as a source of innovation for the automotive and transportation markets,” he said.
