GenieKey and

GenieCoach

Chloe EdmondsonAndrea Stevenson Won

Dara doesn’t like to drive.She makes multiple trips, with multiple stops per day, going to work, to school, and to a number of different activities. She also has to juggle her family/friends/roommates’ busy schedules.

She has no time to backtrack to pick up forgotten items, but she has a lot on her mind and is prone to forgetfulness.Spending so much time in the car gets a little dull. She’s worried about safety, so doesn’t like to multitask, but the hours in the car seem like wasted time. She’d love to carpool and get a chance for more social time with her friends, but it’s hard to arrange with everyone’s busy schedule.

Dara cares about the environment, and feels guilty about using so much gas every day. Besides, it’s expensive! She would like to take public transportation, but it is slow and doesn’t allow her to easily run errands- and she has way too much gear to carry around.

Today she’ll purchase a GenieKey; a portable interface with accompanying

sensors that personalizes her driving experience with her current car, and allows

her car and gear to have an identifiable location. GenieKeys use a custom voice

interface routed through the car’s speaker system. GenieKeys integrate the user’s

calendar and social media to facilitate ride sharing, remind users of trip-related

gear, and allow safe use of media in the car by muting devices when traffic conditions demand the user’s attention. Optionally,

the GenieKey can be a hands-free companion for solo driving, answering

user’s questions about the trip route and describing the surroundings.

Tomorrow she’ll buy a GenieCoach, a private car powered by the GenieKey that allows for physical customization according to user preference. In addition, the GenieCoach networks to create a “social” transportation system, allowing cars to link up and drive semi-autonomously as a larger unit. GenieCoaches create “trains” of cars to drive efficiently on the highway and allow users time and attention to catch up with friends or relax with media. However, when it is more convenient to travel solo, the GenieCoach is a fully driver-controlled, individual vehicle.

High-quality microphone to record user’s voice

Thumbprintrecognition for security

Mini-speaker for out-of-caralerts

Interface for other devices

To use GenieKey without buying a GenieCoach, users tag their current car with a sensor so the Genie system can place it in the context of its travel maps. GenieKey can then automatically warn of alternate side street cleaning, parking meter expirations, etc.- without the user needing to program an alarm or set a calendar alert.

In addition, users can tag gear (briefcase, gym bag) with tiny portable sensors, and GenieKey alerts if required gear is not in trunk on required day

Yoga class is at 2PM. Your gym bag is not in the trunk!

GenieKey integrates your calendars and lists, synching all your other devices and social media, and keeps track of your to-do list tasks in the travel tab to note errands that will require a car.

Susie’s birthday is at 2PM. Your calendar says “Bring cake.” Would you like to make a stop at Sprinkles? It is 2.2 miles from your destination.

GenieKey uses your own voice to talk to you through your car’s stereo system. The interface matches your emotions, learning your general affect over time but also reacting moment to moment. It learns your

vocabulary and your sense of humor. Do you swear at bad drivers? Then so does GenieKey! But not in front of the kids!

$#@*!$#@*!

GenieKey is discreet. It senses when other passengers are in the car, and adjusts behavior accordingly. It does not discuss your

errands or chatter unless requested, instead sending text alerts to your phone. While the Genie system may communicate your

destination, etc. to other cars to facilitate ride-sharing, their drivers can NOT access that information unless the user allows it.

Sarah’s surprise birthday party is at 2PM.

GenieKey, your roadside companion, can be programmed to talk about your road-trip destination, the weather, scenery, where the next In-N-Out and gas stations are along the way.

Hook any other interface to GenieKey to play music, read your ebooks, or even read aloud your emails through your car stereo...but when traffic picks up, GenieKey shuts up.

:

The next article on your reading list is “The importance of situational awareness”!

GenieCoach allows you to physically customize your car- seat height, mirror position, climate control. In addition, the GenieCoach has the ability to pick up other physiometric data and further customize your settings according to the emotions you display in your car.

The “soul” of your car- all of your preferences- are retained in your GenieKey. If your GenieCoach is totaled, if you travel to the other coast, if your friend uses your car and changes all your settings, your GenieKey can instantly transform that car back into your custom coach.

Club Genie – Get Connected

Sync your groups’ event calendars to your GenieKey, so it will know who else is attending the event Friday night and which members also have GenieKeys In a pinch and can’t drive? “Ping” your group of friends with GenieKeys; they will be alerted and you’ll be able to figure out who is going to the event and which cars are nearby.

PING

GenieCoach saves the planet- collaborative driving allows GenieCoaches to form a train on commutes, but allows cars to split off and drive independently when near their destination. Knows other cars’ destinations- connects with them to draft to save gas. Finds just-in-time open parking spots. Shares info on speed traps.