Cloud computing is getting some traction with Ford Motor Company, with the help of some students. Ford recently created a project in which they have tapped the University of Michigan to help bring cloud computing and social networking to Sync, the in-car connectivity and communications-and-entertainment system.
Students at the University of Michigan are granted access to a developmental operating system in which they are able to develop and test programs to greater explore cloud computing capabilities between cars and the outside world. Sync was originally developed with Microsoft and was a great hit with 20-somethings which is why it’s a great step for Ford to tap into that very market to develop bigger and better ways to utilize Sync technology.
One of the things Ford is hoping to get out of the relationship with the University of Michigan is the ability to incorporate social networking into Sync, such as Facebook and Twitter directly to your dashboard (isn’t that a crash waiting to happen?).
The University of Michigan students are engaging the project in two phases. The first phase is a six-week beta test of a prototype software platform where students run applications in attempt to break codes and crash the system. The findings will then shape the second phase where they will actually develop an in-vehicle connectivity platform. 25 to 30 students from multiple disciplines will develop the platform in small teams. A panel of judges from Ford, University of Michigan, Microsoft, Maker Faire and more will choose the winning application set and the team will install the programs in a Ford Fiesta that will take part in American Journey 2.0, a road trip show.
This project embodies an overall trend in which cloud computing is seeping into our lives. Before we know it the cloud will be in many of our cars. It’s already in many of our hands (i.e. smartphones) and it’s just a matter of time before cloud computing becomes an everyday life sort of thing.
Students at the University of Michigan are granted access to a developmental operating system in which they are able to develop and test programs to greater explore cloud computing capabilities between cars and the outside world. Sync was originally developed with Microsoft and was a great hit with 20-somethings which is why it’s a great step for Ford to tap into that very market to develop bigger and better ways to utilize Sync technology.
One of the things Ford is hoping to get out of the relationship with the University of Michigan is the ability to incorporate social networking into Sync, such as Facebook and Twitter directly to your dashboard (isn’t that a crash waiting to happen?).
The University of Michigan students are engaging the project in two phases. The first phase is a six-week beta test of a prototype software platform where students run applications in attempt to break codes and crash the system. The findings will then shape the second phase where they will actually develop an in-vehicle connectivity platform. 25 to 30 students from multiple disciplines will develop the platform in small teams. A panel of judges from Ford, University of Michigan, Microsoft, Maker Faire and more will choose the winning application set and the team will install the programs in a Ford Fiesta that will take part in American Journey 2.0, a road trip show.
This project embodies an overall trend in which cloud computing is seeping into our lives. Before we know it the cloud will be in many of our cars. It’s already in many of our hands (i.e. smartphones) and it’s just a matter of time before cloud computing becomes an everyday life sort of thing.
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