'Talking car' gets ready to roll

TALKING CAR: The fantasy of owning a Knight Rider car could be a step closer to reality thanks to research to be presented in Dubai.

Boyhood dreams of battling villains in a black customised Pontiac Firebird with bullet-proof armour, a cyclopic-like red scanner and the ability to deliver witty one-liners could be a step closer thanks to new research to be presented in Dubai on Monday.

Speaking at the British University in Dubai (BUiD), a professor from the UK's Oxford Brookes University will outline the latest developments in 'talking car' technology and the different uses this is being put to.

Dr. May Zajicek will talk specifically about the Carsite project, which aims to use technology to help older people drive more safely.

New technology can read geographic data and warn of upcoming hazards and traffic regulations in the surrounding area, potentially making driving safer, BUiD said.

“What the Carsite project is examining is how people respond to in-car speech messages, and specifically how this can be tailored for older people, in terms of tone of voice and response mechanisms," Zajicek said.

"The technology is now available for computers to respond to oral requests from drivers, and to interact with them, which is tremendously exciting."

BUiD Vice-Chancellor Dr. Abdullah M. Alshamsi added: “The experimental work being conducted by the Carsite project demonstrates an admirable application of science, and the British University in Dubai is delighted to support it."

The idea of a talking car gained mass appeal in the 1980s with the launch of the US television series Knight Rider starring David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight and a car with artificial intelligence called Kitt.

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