This week’s Smart Living roundup features a multi-million dollar funding round to jump start one Florida connected vehicle program, a new location-based information system, a portable power source from a new line of speakers, and a new object tracker for travellers. 

Tampa Bay gets $2.4m for connected vehicle program

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $2.4 million in federal funding to the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority as part of a connected vehicle program. The money will be used to turn the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway into a sensor hub, which will be needed to test driverless car technology. The program aims to allow vehicle-to-vehicle communication to make roads safer as well as bring an immediate solution to traffic congestion.

Four cities are participating in the program including New York City and Ann Arbor, Michigan, which were the first to join the program, but the fourth city has yet to be identified.

TomTom’s new RoadDNA

TomTom International BV announced the new TomTom RoadDNA, an innovative new product for vehicle localization that will help make automated driving a reality, faster. The technology delivers highly accurate location information and highly optimized lateral and longitudinal views of the roadway, which can be integrated to a vehicle’s on-board system.

The technology matches the RoadDNA data with vehicle sensor data in real-time to deliver location information even when driving at high speeds. The system is also able to compress data so it needs little storage space as well as little processing requirements but without compromising the details on the roadway. Combined with the TomTom HAD Map, the TomTom RoadDNA claims to deliver accurate and robust technology that provides real-time info of a vehicle’s precise location on a map, while still able to cope up with the changes in the environment.

iHome’s Kineta line

iHome (SDI Technologies, Inc.) introduced Kineta, a line of connected speakers that feature a removable K-CELL – a portable power bank battery that ejects from the speaker to charge mobile devices on the go. The K-CELL supplies up to one full charge for mobile phones, and it comes included in two new products: K1 Portable Rechargeable Bluetooth Speaker priced at $149.99 and the K2 Dual-Charging Bluetooth Clock Radio priced at $99.99.

Both devices have Bluetooth and NFC connectivity for easy pairing of devices so you can start streaming your favorite tunes or tuning into your favorite radio station at a push of a button. The devices are available in Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s and Costco, and at iHome.com.

TUMI’s new object tracker

TUMI Holdings, Inc. has collaborated with AT&T and LugTrack to launch the TUMI Global Locator, a new wireless tracking device that provides travellers with the real-time data of their luggage or baggage so they no longer have to worry about losing items when travelling.

The TUMI Global Locator uses GPS, GSM, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology to provide specific location positioning information via a mobile application to users around the world. The device is FAA compliant as it has the ability to turn itself off while in flight and turn on again when the plane has landed.

Photo by Unsplash (Pixabay)