QNX, maker of an OS for embedded systems, remade the dashboard and instrument cluster of a Jeep Wrangler to show off its latest, versatile automotive platform.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
The Jeep Wrangler is an unlikely vehicle to host a high-tech instrument cluster and infotainment system, but it serves to show off the versatility of QNX Software System's Car 2 application platform. If the company can build its software into a Jeep, it can put it in any type of car.
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This reference vehicle uses an LCD for its instrument cluster, with gauges and indicators programmed in QNX's Car 2 platform. QNX boasts that the instrument cluster is running off the same software stack as the infotainment system. This type of instrument cluster allows for a wide range of customization. Along with gauges, it could also host the view from front- and side-view cameras when using the Jeep for serious rock crawling.
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QNX replaced the head unit with a simple touch screen. Here it is showing a radio interface, complete with presets and a tuning wheel. A menu strip along the bottom of the screen holds icons for access to other infotainment functions.
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QNX demonstrates with this screen how its Car 2 application platform can communicate with the car's CAN bus, using the main LCD to show detailed status of the braking systems.
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Going beyond basic functions, QNX demonstrates the automotive holy grail, full app hosting on its platform. This screen shows some of the possibilities, using navigation, weather, parking, and music apps. An automaker implementing the QNX platform could decide which apps it wanted to make available to its customers.
