Kinect in Cars? Microsoft Job Listing Hints at New Auto Applications

A job listing posted by Microsoft hints at future integration of everything from Xbox Kinect to Windows 8 into vehicles, with a heavy focus on the next generation of in-car user interfaces.
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Image: Microsoft

A job listing posted by Microsoft hints at future integration of everything from Xbox Kinect to Windows 8 into vehicles, with a heavy focus on the next generation of in-car user interfaces.

While it's doubtful that Microsoft plans to slap a Kinect controller onto your dashboard, automakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz are actively working on gesture-based controls for their vehicles. And considering the crew from Redmond already has the technology and a range of automaker partners, it's not surprising that Microsoft wants to be a serious, embedded player in the ultimate mobile device.

This isn't Microsoft's first foray into the automotive space. The software company's Windows Embedded architecture has been employed by an extensive list of automakers, including Honda, Nissan, Aston Martin and BMW. More recently, Microsoft has partnered with Ford to launch its Sync system, Kia's UVO infotainment setup and Fiat's Blue&Me in-car entertainment and navigation services.

But this next step takes it much further. According to the posting:

For the next generation of the Connected Car Platform, we plan to leverage the full power of the Microsoft ecosystem including Kinect, Windows 8, Windows Phone, Windows Live, Bing, Azure, and Tellme. The combination of rich local sensing, user identification, cloud access, and data mining will transform tomorrow’s cars from passive objects into intelligent assistants for both the driver and their passengers. The new Connected Car will know its riders, and will interact with them naturally via speech, gestures, and face tracking. It will learn their habits, and offer personalized contextual information and driving assists to get them to their destination as quickly and safely as possible. Through a growing catalogue of applications, it will inform and entertain them, and keep them connected with the people and information they care about. The possibilities are endless.

In addition to its range of OEM automotive partners, Microsoft also showed off what it's capable of earlier this year, joining forces with West Coast Customs to outfit a 1967 Ford Mustang with a Metro-inspired UI, Sync integration, two Kinect controllers to monitor motion and objects in front and behind the fastback, and a heads-up display complete with Bing Maps integration, turn-by-turn directions and point-of-interest search.

The keystone of Microsoft's in-car push is personalization, utilizing the user's smartphone to recognize who's behind the wheel and then tailoring the driving experience through everything from playlists to integrated calendar notifications. A persistent data connection and cloud synchronization is also part of the package, along with apps, apps and more apps, all of which would be upgraded over the air.

As for the user interface, a combination of voice commands and gestures are likely to make up the next generation of in-car controls, and Microsoft is keenly placed to be a leader in the development of these latest UIs.