CEO Stottan to speak at IoT Congress in Vienna on October 23, 2019

On October 23, 2019, Thomas Stottan will present at the 3rd IoT Expert Congress on the topic of “Vehicle Digitalization – From Self-Driving to Highly Automated Driving”.

The congress contribution addresses the emerging vehicle digitalization and its opportunities and risks. The focus section of the presentation specifically deals with these risks. Modern cars offer an increasing number of functions. A new standard from Austria – where Stottan was involved in its development as part of the standardization process – allows for determining how much the driver is distracted by these functions.

Horn, turn signal, light lever – the world behind the steering wheel was once very manageable. Drivers of modern vehicles, however, can enjoy up to 120 different cockpit functions. Assistance and infotainment systems monitor ABS, tire pressure, lane changes, or the distance to other vehicles, provide favorite music, or research traffic reports and weather forecasts via app on the internet. Operation is via levers, rockers, and switches, or via touch display and voice control. In addition, all sorts of green, yellow, red, and blue information and warning lights adorn the cockpit. Thus, there is no shortage of distraction and visual stimuli. The increasing degree of automation – keyword “autonomous driving” – is expected to lead to a further increase.

Humanizing Technology

However, the more diverse the functions, the more important simple operation becomes, because the human ability to deal with complexity is limited. “We must humanize technology, not technologize humans,” demands Thomas Stottan. The CEO of AUDIO MOBIL has been involved with information and communication technologies in vehicles for more than three decades and is committed to combating over-engineering and excessive complexity. He played a leading role in the development of ÖNORM V 5090 at Austrian Standards, which provides a testing procedure for potential distractions caused by driver information and assistance systems in cars.

A Question of Safety

“With ÖNORM V 5090, vehicle manufacturers and suppliers can for the first time comprehensively assess whether a technology is safe to operate,” explains Thomas Stottan. All key stakeholders were involved in the development of the new standard – in addition to the automotive industry and automobile clubs, these included universities, ministries, and interest groups such as the Road Safety Board.

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