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Ford, St. Petersburg Polytechnic University Work to Improve Vehicle Connectivity

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Ford vehicle connectivity graphic

Ford is working with St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University on a project that utilizes technology employed in the communication between space robots to improve future vehicle connectivity. Together, the two forces have combined to create a new data communications system prototype that could serve as the template for future connected cars, causing Ford to file for several patents that will likely give it a leg up on its competitors for years to come.

“The challenge of creating a robust wireless communications network is shared between the space and automotive industries,” said Oleg Gusikhin, technical leader, Advanced Connected Services, Ford Research & Advanced Engineering. “These first results are very promising in terms of offering more reliable communications technology for the future of connected vehicles.”

At the start of a three-year project with St. Petersburg State Poly U, Ford sought to address the issue of creating communication between vehicles and the cloud in areas of low connectivity. This, naturally, was an issue for engineers who had worked to resolve the issue of reliable connections between robots in the vacuum of space.

Researchers from the university collected data that was transmitted between vehicles and used it to create a connectivity manager that automatically determines the best means for vehicle-to-cloud communication. Some of the focal points of the project were transmitting emergency data in an area with less-than-ideal connectivity, something that will surely be of interest to anyone who might find themselves stranded in a haunted ghost town somewhere down the line.

Ford says that the project will be finalized by the end of 2015, and that developments could find their way into future Ford production.