Ford has patented a technology that most drivers will not like. This new technology will scan advertisements along the roads and broadcast them to car screens.
There are many billboards installed along the roads, but drivers are used to ignoring them. However, many vehicles today are equipped with traffic sign recognition systems. Ford decided to go further and adapted this technology for advertising.
How Is Ford's New Patent Supposed To Work?
The system will scan the billboard, recognize the information, and display the most useful data directly on the car display. The negative reaction of drivers to such annoying advertising is easy to imagine, especially since there are already too many distractions around. And there are no autonomous driving systems that do not require human attention.
The note attached to the patent application says that not only the advertiser's products or services will be displayed on the machines' screens but also the route, for example, to the store. Or this can be the company's phone number. Overall, there are a bunch of options for the embodiment of this technology.
How Likely Is This Patent To Come To Life?
It is already becoming clear that such a function can be very useful for car companies and advertisers. But first of all, the new system will be beneficial for Ford. The company will be able to collect money from advertisers for access to media systems in cars. But will it be beneficial for the driver? Unlikely. After all, displays on cars are designed to help drivers safely drive on the road. And this method of displaying advertising does not cancel its display on billboards, but only adds another way of displaying it - in the car itself.
Ford constantly reminds that the patent application does not indicate the company's business plans, and the new system may never appear in the car. The carmaker periodically issues patents for new inventions as a normal course of business. For example, they recently patented a new lightning technology.
It is unlikely that this technology will appear in new models. As automakers explore new products and services needed to stand out om the competitive market, something like this could be an important factor, which can make many buyers avoid purchasing new Ford products.
Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Ford