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from the squealing-kid-not-serpentine-belt dept.
Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1
As cars get smarter, more and more of them are going to give their owners preventative maintenance alerts. It's one of the benefits to consumers regularly touted by advocates of the connected car, and even some older cars can get in on the action via aftermarket units that connect to a car's onboard diagnostics port.
However, that last one might not be necessary if a technique being developed by some researchers at MIT pans out. Rather than plugging a diagnostic dongle into a car's controller area network—with the attendant hacking risk—Joshua Siegel and his colleagues reckon a smartphone's microphone and accelerometers could be sufficient.
Some of his research has just been published in Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence; specifically a paper that shows that audio data collected by a smartphone alone can diagnose an air filter that needs to be changed.
The idea behind it is quite simple. A dirty or occluded filter—blocked by leaves, for example—will let a different flow of air through it than one that's working as designed. And that difference will result in different auditory and vibratory signals. (This is important because a dirtier or occluded filter won't send the optimal amount of cold fresh air to the engine, which means worse fuel economy and increased wear.)
(Score: 3, Informative) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday November 02 2017, @01:37PM (8 children)
It's about time someone implemented this for consumer use. Vibration techs have been doing this in industrial settings for quite a while now. Saves them heaps of money because they can tell before something shits the bed what part of it is wearing out and roughly how long they can expect it to keep going, which means they can schedule downtime instead of reacting to unexpected downtime. I mean, would you rather be stuck on the side of the road waiting on a tow truck and then waiting for a garage to fit you in or plan half a day off and not have to worry?
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Sulla on Thursday November 02 2017, @03:06PM (5 children)
I am more bothered that people don't do this already. I am constantly listening for any variations in the noise my vehicle is making or how much it vibrates at a stop to figure out if I have anything going wrong. Discovered that my '13 F150 had misgapped spark plugs from the factory that way. Guess for me it was also necessity because my Vanagon lacked a speedometer so I shifted based on how the engine sounded.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 02 2017, @03:41PM (4 children)
Most people (in the US) have no idea how to do basic car maintenance, so you must be in a perpetually disturbed state.
Personally, I can't say with much confidence that I'd be able to hear a mis-gapped spark plug. I've never bought a new car, so I've just replaced the plugs immediately (no matter what the history says) after buying a used car because it is a cheap precaution. Same goes for air filters, oil (no matter the color), and coolant.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Thursday November 02 2017, @03:56PM (3 children)
Was just able to tell that there was something off because it sounded a little rough. After a while of testing various things I pulled a plug and realized it was mis-gapped, all eight were way out of range. Fortunately Kendall Ford is a pile of shit and refused to help or warranty me some new plugs.
Currently in my '16 i get a little bit of grinding in the steering wheel when moving extremely slowly. Still trying to determine what this is. Naturally intermittent so no dealership will warranty it.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 02 2017, @04:30PM (1 child)
Sounds like an issue with your power steering. IIRC the symptoms are usually more obvious when driving slowly and making sharp turns (e.g. driving in a parking lot). I'd check the power steering fluid level and color.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Thursday November 02 2017, @06:14PM
Offtopic,
Actually looked it up, have a much milder version of what the video on the linked forum has. Mine only does this at speed when not really turning. The guy got his fixed under warranty by replacing the intermediate shaft.
http://www.f150ecoboost.net/forum/31-f150-ecoboost-problems/13781-steering-wheel-creaking-clock-spring.html [f150ecoboost.net]
Guess ill bother getting an appointment at the stealership.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 5, Funny) by bob_super on Thursday November 02 2017, @04:36PM
> a little bit of grinding in the steering wheel when moving extremely slowly.
That's a pretty usual sound for an F150, and easy to fix by turning on the right radio channel: it's the souls of environmentalists.
(Score: 3, Funny) by bob_super on Thursday November 02 2017, @04:42PM (1 child)
The primary problem with that method is to get a baseline to calibrate the app for every single car on the market.
It's cute to say your phone can recognize a sound, after you trained it. It's very different to tell people "car not recognized, calibration step 2: please disassemble radiator fan, put sugar in your gas tank, and tie the cat to your timing belt before pressing OK"
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday November 02 2017, @05:25PM
Shouldn't be too difficult, really. Not if you're interested in selling your code to the car manufacturers as well. I certainly would be.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.