Google develops voice assistant for cars. Are Americans really more technologically advanced?

The Google I/O 2019 developer conference was held in the United States from May 7 to 9. In addition to unveiling the more powerful new generation of Google Assistant voice assistant technology, Google also demonstrated the new functions of Google Assistant integrated with vehicles through Hyundai models, including remote engine start, air conditioning setting and door locks, which were previously only seen on luxury cars, and all can be controlled by natural speech. Hyundai America also stated that the new Google Assistant technology will be installed in its models in the near future.

Although remote control of vehicles through voice assistants may sound like a technology that only exists in spy sci-fi movies such as 007, many car manufacturers have already applied this technology to their products, such as luxury brands such as BMW, Tesla, and Mercedes-Benz, and even domestic independent brands have launched so-called voice assistants. However, compared to the mobile device field, which has a wide range of applications, the late-starting automotive industry still has some gaps in technology maturity and human-machine interface to meet consumer expectations.

Therefore, some car manufacturers have turned to cooperation with mobile device system manufacturers such as Amazon, Apple and Google. In addition to using Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in the in-vehicle infotainment system, they have also introduced Amazon Alexa or Google voice assistant to manage air conditioning, engine start and stop and other functions through voice control.

Many car manufacturers have adopted Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in the in-vehicle infotainment systems of their products.

The next-generation Google Assistant, which will soon be installed on Hyundai vehicles, can be used on smart speakers, smart displays, or Android and iOS through the Hyundai Blue Link software. Through voice control, car owners can start the engine in their kitchen, set the air conditioner on the sofa, or lock the car more quickly when shopping at the grocery store. In the past, these voice control commands that required multiple steps can be completed in just one or two sentences with the new generation of Google Assistant's more powerful natural language recognition.

Hyundai gave an example. In the new generation of Google Assistant, car owners can issue commands such as "Hey Google, start my car," "Hey Google, how much gas does my car have?" or "Hey Google, are my car doors locked?" Compared with the previous generation of products, which used more complex commands such as "Hey Google, tell Blue Link to start my Santa Fe," "Hey Google, ask Blue Link how much gas I have in my tank," it can be seen that it will have more powerful semantic recognition and be able to understand the meaning smoothly.

In addition, the connection between Google Assistant and vehicles is even deeper on smartphones or Google Home. Hyundai gives an example that in the morning, car owners only need to issue the command "Hey Google, good morning." The system will directly report the weather of the day, traffic conditions to the workplace, and the battery level of the electric vehicle. Before going to bed, you can also check whether the car, garage, and door are locked and turn off the lights at home by saying "Hey Google, bedtime."

In Hyundai's new cars, the Google Assistant-enabled Blue Link software can be activated via a button on the rearview mirror, the in-car entertainment system or the owner's phone. The system is expected to be available in the U.S. first.