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Delphi
Dr Andrew Brown, chief technologist, Delphi
The elderly population will get stronger everywhere. They’ll want
self-reliance, easier to operate controls, get in and out. Generations
X and Y are gaining influence and have concerns about safety, security
and privacy. Safety will mean personal safety, either in the car, as a
pedestrian or at home. Future technologies will sense if the driver is
incapacitated or experiencing a heart condition. Devices will alert the
driver to threats and vehicles will talk to one another and the infrastructure
to avoid accidents and heavy traffic.
Buyers will demand environmental efficiency and will want to be connected
wherever they are. The key will be common formats and protocols so these
technologies can work in vehicles anywhere in the world. The key enablers
will be: telematics, HMI, sensor fusion, low-cost power electronics, distributed
networks, robust connection systems, mechatronics, data mining, structural
software, elderly assistance technology and nanotechnology. I’d
add one more: manufacturability.
Behind China and India, there are countries like Vietnam and Thailand.
An emerging automotive industry needs a home market. This will drive demand
for smaller, more affordable vehicles.
The biggest challenge for engineers in 2018 may be that they’ll
no longer be able to stay and work in their home country. You may be a
European working for a Chinese company that operates in Brazil, say. Engineers
will need more languages: Chinese, Spanish, possibly Portuguese. They’ll
need to network and collaborate with peers around the world which will
mean accommodating different time zones into the daily routine. Chemical
engineering will also play a bigger role as fuel cells and flex fuels
develop.
Next... Dow
Index
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January 2008
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