Menu

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE FEATURE NEWS

Ford Contemplates Spydrones in Autonomous Vehicles

By Luke Bellos February 11, 2022

The  ubiquity of digital tech is causing privacy concerns, as many commonly used pieces of equipment can be exploited to watch everyday citizens.

Despite the controversy regarding digital tech and privacy, some companies are incorporating questionable spytech in the name of safety. According to a article from the New York Post, American auto giant Ford is considering the use of spy drones to monitor and inspect autonomous vehicles. Last year, Ford successfully filed a tech patent to hide small drones in the truck/glove box of driverless cars, in order to automatically assess car damage or analyze an accident. It’s likely Ford wants to use this tech for the Argo AI’s soon-to-launch ride hailing service (owned by Ford), but representatives with the company have not commented on this matter.

There are legitimate privacy concerns regarding this technology, but for autonomous ride services this seems to be a useful concept. Without drivers, automatic ride hailing service providers need an accurate way to manage vehicles without depending on human service agents. The patent could also improve accident response times in the event of a crash, enabling drones to assess the severity of the situation, and automatically send pictures for reference.

Ford’s spyware drone patent could have a huge impact on the future of ride services, especially if companies like Uber and Lyft take advantage of similar approaches. However, drastic security measures will need to be incorporated to guarantee customers aren’t being watched for the wrong reasons.

Hear from industry leaders and tech enthusiasts about how IoT technology is revolutionizing business operations by joining the IoT Evolution Expo from June 21-24,2022 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.




Edited by Maurice Nagle
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]

Editor, IoTevolutionworld

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related Articles

Wind River and Hyundai Mobis Expand Partnership, Accelerating SDV Development Roadmap

By: Alex Passett    3/7/2024

Wind River and Hyundai Mobis are building on their existing partnership to further SDV development initiatives.

Read More

Robotaxis? Personal Self-Driving Vehicles? New Data from Ghost Autonomy Examines Consumers' Preferences

By: Alex Passett    2/26/2024

In a recent survey conducted by Ghost Autonomy, consumers' preferences regarding ADAS in their own cars (versus hopping in robotaxis with similar tech…

Read More

Cognata Accelerates its ADPH Global Program with Microsoft Azure and Digital Twin-Based Simulations

By: Alex Passett    2/6/2024

Cognata and Microsoft announced their collaboration to drive the former's Automated Driving Perception Hub (ADPH) global program with unique sensor mo…

Read More

BlackBerry and Intellias Establish Strategic Partnership to Streamline SDV Development via BlackBerry IVY Platform

By: Alex Passett    1/24/2024

Blackberry and Intellias recently established a strategic technology partnership. According to an Intellias representative, "Intellias will become a d…

Read More

Sonatus Gives Drivers and Fleet Managers Customizable Experiences with New Solution

By: Greg Tavarez    1/23/2024

Sonatus introduced its Vehicle Personalization Solution, a cost-effective yet technologically advanced tool that allows automakers to democratize pers…

Read More