The Pioneer telematics in action
Good idea or bad idea?
In-car electronic gadgets are a huge talking point in the automotive industry at the moment, with companies such as IAM and Brake railing against them as distractions and fleet managers using them for a variety of insights. As the tech increases and progresses in huge leaps the safety conversation is only going to increase.
On this note, and in a move that is only going to lead to further road safety agency reaction, Japan’s Pioneer Corporation have developed a new telematics unit that fits over a car’s rearview mirror. This kind of adaptability and mobility is definitely going to be one of the unit’s most unique selling points in the fleet market.
The Pioneer rearview mirror telematics unit consists of a self-contained module equipped with an LTE communication unit linked to the company’s Mobile Telematics Center.
Promising high speed and low latency, the link provides the module with information about local facilities, traffic, weather and news, as well as navigation functions, with the information displayed on a half-mirrored, 5-inch LCD touchscreen.
There’s also a built-in front-view camera with wide-angle lens that acts as a driving recorder and it is also equipped with a Safe Driving Support Service, which analyzes the movements of cars ahead, detects potential hazards, and provides audio visual warnings.
According to Pioneer, the module can be used in fleet management via the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). It can even work, believe it or not, as a boring old rearview mirror.
Pioneer says that the rearview mirror telematics unit will be launching in 2015, with pricing yet to be announced.
Would you be interested in using a rear view mirror telematics unit? Let us know in the comments below
