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posted by on Monday May 01 2017, @09:04PM   Printer-friendly
from the no-more-deaf-cars dept.

Startup OtoSense is working with major automakers on software that could give cars their own sense of hearing to diagnose themselves before any problem gets too expensive. The technology could also help human-driven and automated vehicles stay safe, for example by listening for emergency sirens or sounds indicating road surface quality.

OtoSense has developed machine-learning software that can be trained to identify specific noises, including subtle changes in an engine or a vehicle's brakes. French automaker PSA Group, owner of brands including Citroen and Peugeot, is testing a version of the software trained using thousands of sounds from its different vehicle models.

Under a project dubbed AudioHound, OtoSense has developed a prototype tablet app that a technician or even car owner could use to record audio for automated diagnosis, says Guillaume Catusseau, who works on vehicle noise in PSA's R&D department.

Tests have shown that the system can identify unwanted noises from the engine, HVAC system, wheels, and other components. It makes the correct diagnosis 95 percent of the time. Catusseau says PSA is now considering how what he dubs a "bionic ear" could be deployed to speed up repairs and make customers happier. "Buzz, squeak, or rattle is a great concern for car owners," he says. "The customer will perceive the vehicle as being of low quality, [and] this can affect repurchase intent."

-- submitted from IRC


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  • (Score: 2) by driverless on Tuesday May 02 2017, @02:25AM (1 child)

    by driverless (4770) on Tuesday May 02 2017, @02:25AM (#502617)

    For people who have no idea what I'm talking about, in the old days you'd use a neon bulb or fancy xenon flasher to set the exact fixed phase angle between a distributor (um... like electronic coil packs that spun around?) and the crankshaft and that had quite an effect on power output although if you pushed your luck too much the intake charge would detonate when really hot or really high throttle (which slowly destroyed the pistons and bearings, at least in the old days) so the earliest engine computers could manipulate that phase angle a bit to get idea spark plug timing.

    Man, I remember those days, that was such a pain to do all the time. Now I just haul out my plumbus and the whole thing is finished in a few minutes. It really does provide me with a lifetime of better living and happiness.

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  • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Tuesday May 02 2017, @06:43AM

    by MostCynical (2589) on Tuesday May 02 2017, @06:43AM (#502706) Journal

    Tuning a car with triple SUs, with a stethescope.
    Then do the timing.
    Then take it for a drive, park it for more than two hours and have to do it all again...

    Fun, from a different era.

    --
    "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex