Convergence of Automotive and Wearable Technology
Reading modern tech blogs or following major product showcases reveals strong momentum in both the automotive and wearable segments of the consumer electronics industry. Leading automakers and designers recognize that people want new ways to stay connected while breaking the limits of mobile devices.
As flagship wearables such as smartwatches and fitness bands dominate headlines, automakers are pursuing personalization and connected design within the ultimate mobile device: the car. This trend is giving rise to the era of smart car keys.
What Smart Keys Offer
Like other recent smart devices, smart keys provide convenience, wireless connectivity, and interactive capabilities. They are highly portable and pocketable. Many designs include touchscreens and secure wireless connections, allowing the key to run apps, exchange digital content, and function as a smart card for mobile payments, tickets, and physical access control.
As a comprehensive access device, a smart key can pay tolls and transit fares, split bills at restaurants, open garage or office doors, and unlock rental bikes or hotel rooms. It can also authorize temporary access to a vehicle.
Personalization and Privacy
Opportunities go beyond convenience. Personalization technologies already learn shopping preferences and adapt devices to user needs. When self-driving cars become commonplace, smart keys are likely to be central to a personalized driving experience. They can act as a profile hub that stores preferences, from preferred seat positions to in-car entertainment choices. As with all personalization technologies, preserving user privacy is essential. Devices should support privacy protections and secure, opt-in mechanisms.
Longevity and Differentiation
With an increasing number of connected devices, consumers may wonder how smart keys will stand out. They will be one of several intelligent devices in a personal network alongside smartphones, smartwatches, and other wearables. Because a car is often one of a person’s largest purchases, smart keys tend to have longer lifespans than many consumer gadgets.
Smart keys are typically issued with a vehicle and bound to it. While people might replace smartphones or tablets every two to three years, they usually retain their car keys for the vehicle’s ownership cycle, which can span many years.
Offline Functionality and Reliability
Unlike smartphones, a smart key’s core functions do not require cellular service or Wi-Fi and can still unlock and start a vehicle even if the key’s secondary battery is depleted. This is advantageous in underground garages, remote areas, or emergency situations.
Security Considerations
Data security remains a major concern. The internet of things has introduced many new data entry points and corresponding security risks. New endpoints face increasingly sophisticated hacking attempts, and physical loss of a key raises additional worries about financial and contact data exposure.
A key differentiator for smart keys is that they are designed for secure transactions. Features such as payments, access control, enhanced security, and complex connectivity can be implemented using near-field communication (NFC), a proximity-based technology that shares information and initiates tasks when two devices are brought close together.
NFC is now common in many smartphones and supports a growing range of mobile payment applications. The technology is also used in wearables because secure transactions are initiated intuitively by bringing devices into close proximity.
Lost Keys and Emergency Options
If a smart key is lost, the owner can immediately block access through authentication procedures and remotely disable the key, or choose temporary disabling until the key is found.
If carrying an electronic key is inconvenient in certain situations, such as at the beach, vehicle access can be temporarily transferred to a waterproof activity band, allowing the physical key to remain stored safely.
Outlook
Smart car keys are poised to take a place within the personal connected-device ecosystem. They offer practical functionality and security. Given recurring market cycles and functional overlap among connected devices, consumers will select the combination of devices that best fits their needs. With the wearables market projected to reach $34 billion by 2020, the concept of intelligent car keys appears to be more than a niche idea.
