From early in the next decade, it'll be mandatory for all cars in the EU to be fitted with a "black box" technology called eCall. This is an in-vehicle emergency call service which is used to contact the authorities in the case of an accident or other adverse situation.

The initiative has come out of the eSafety Forum, a group of car manufacturers, technology companies and representatives of various emergency services bought together by the EU. Qualcomm is responsible for the radio modem that uses existing emergency bands for communicating with the authorities.

If a car crashes, or if anyone in the car manually activates the eCall system, a message is immediately sent to the authorities with info about the time, location and type of vehicle involved in the incident. A voice call can also be initiated with the emergency services that plays over the car's entertainment system and uses an embedded microphone so you can converse with the operator.

It's not entirely clear exactly when the system will become mandatory. The UK, along with a few other countries, haven't signed the necessary legislation yet. Qualcomm predicts a timescale of "around 2012", whereas Wikipedia reckons 2014.

Still, this could prove a useful tool for alerting emergency services to accidents, and getting help to those who need it, as well as for recording more accurate data on road accidents.

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Tags: Car And GPS Car gadgets eCall Qualcomm EU

EU cars getting mandatory emergency system originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:20:50 +0000

An interesting EU-financed project is looking at the possibility of building "Road Trains" to carry cars in convoy over long journeys. Each road train would be comprised of up to eight vehicles (cars, buses, trucks, anything), all of which would follow a professional driver, who would monitor the train's status.

Each following vehicle could lock its position so that the driver could take his or her hands off the wheel and read a book, play a game or watch TV or a movie. The vehicles would be wirelessly controlled by the lead driver, so that they stayed in formation. Fuel consumption could be cut, through the scheme, by 20%, according to the researchers.

"The goal is to try and introduce a step change in transport methods", said Tom Robinson, project co-ordinator. "We're looking at what it would take to get platooning on public highways without making big changes to the public highways themselves".

Each vehicle would need to carry a module capable of communicating with the lead driver, as well as sensors so that driver could monitor the entire train. However, the technology is available today, so the next step would be winning the trust of road regulators and the general public, as well as working out the safety implications.

Trials will be held on test tracks in the next few years in the UK, Spain and Sweden. We'll keep you posted of their progress. Let us know in the comments what you think - would you feel safe in a Road Train?

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Tags: Car And GPS Concepts EU Road trains

EU proposes wireless "Road Trains" originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:16:26 +0000

The European Union has demanded that MP3 player and mobile phone manufacturers decrease the volume on their output, in a concession to the risk of deafness. The consumer protection unit said that the new rules are aimed at teenagers, reports the AFP.

"It can take years for the hearing damage to show, and then it is simply too late," said the head of the unit, Meglena Kuneva. "These standards make small technical changes to players so that by default, normal use is safe".

That default limit is 80 decibels - about the same as a vacuum cleaner or alarm clock. It's possible to override those settings, but users would be then given a warning about the risks they're taking. "If consumers choose to over-ride the default settings they can", said Kuneva.

The proposals have a two-year timeframe for comment from the industry, before they're brought into force. Malcolm Harbour, chairman of the European parliament's consumer protection committee and Tory MP, commented: "Hopefully it will reduce the number of times we have to listen to the din of someone else's personal stereo on the bus or the tube".

The EU is also looking into the exploding iPhone phenomenon, with Kuneva saying: "If goods are dangerous, then we will order a recall".

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Related links:

• News - Apple adds volume limiting to iPods
• News - Man sues Apple over iPod volume

Tags: Audio MP3 players EU Mobile phones

EU imposes music player volume limit originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:53:19 +0100