Car Key Evolution-what's next ?

[MOE J]

Some of you might recall metal keys-needed mutiple keys to open door, another to start the ingnition, another to unlock glove box, etc, Then in the late 1970's came the single metal key-one key to open door and same key to start.

Next, was the transponder key and some much needed plastic for comfort. One could lock and unlock doors without the need to insert key.

The KEY FOB dominated the 1990's and early 2000's-you could open doors,start the ignition, open trunk, without the need to insert any key. The downside was it required battery replacement every few years and car alarms were going off every single day.

Then came the RFID chip keys that did not need batteries but all they could do was lock and start your car. Physical touch of the vehicle is required.

Fast forward to today and we have digital keys aka phone app which eliminated the need for physically touching your car and offered a lot more things we could do remotely.

So what's next-ID or Eye scans thus eliminating the need for anything inorganic. An invisible scan to Identify you, unlock door and start vehicle. The remote functions we now enjoy (warm up/cool down/camera security) will all be done automatically. The key fob is obsolete and I fear the phone will soon follow.

 

[MODEL+]

 

[EVRider-FL]

You beat me to it!

 

[PianoAl]

I'd say that fingerprint scanners might be next, but I can't think of anything that beats having the car lock/unlock when you have your phone in your pocket (when it works).

Imagine going back in time to the 1980s:

"In the future, your car will unlock when you come near it."
"How will it know?"
"Because you'll have your phone in your pocket."
"A telephone in your pocket?"
"Well, they're a lot smaller in the future."
"You have to carry your phone all the time?"

 

[RayK]

I'd say that fingerprint scanners might be next, but I can't think of anything that beats having the car lock/unlock when you have your phone in your pocket (when it works).

If a fingerprint reader is the only way to authenticate a driver, I'd pass on that vehicle. I've been using trying to use the FPR on my Samsung phone for several years and with the way my fingers dry out every couple of months, I'm constantly having to re-train the biometric system. At least with a phone I can always type in my PIN to get access when my fingerprint(s) are not recognized.

 

[stopcrazypp]

If a fingerprint reader is the only way to authenticate a driver, I'd pass on that vehicle. I've been using trying to use the FPR on my Samsung phone for several years and with the way my fingers dry out every couple of months, I'm constantly having to re-train the biometric system. At least with a phone I can always type in my PIN to get access when my fingerprint(s) are not recognized.

Is it the new underscreen ones? I heard those are much less reliable than the dedicated sensors that used to be in the back (my phone is older and still has a rear fingerprint reader, which is very reliable; only doesn't work when I have wet fingers). A workaround is to register the same finger multiple times (so it can get more reads) and also a finger from a different hand as a backup.

 

[ChooseFreedom]

I had a first gen Mazda RX-8. Loved that car. 6-speed manual, 9000 rpm redline and would get there so smooth.
Rotary engines got a bad rep, but they just needed a bit of love and they'd run forever. But definitely an enthusiasts car. Not a commuter.

It was a bit ahead of it's time in 2005 with it's card shaped proximity key. Just thick enough for a flat batt, but still quite thin. Not much thicker than the valet key that pulled out. Always admired Mazda's design details.
First car I had that I didn't have to take the key out of my pocket. And it even had a walk away locking feature.
Pretty fancy for me back then.

 

[MOE J]

finger print security is not reliable, eye scans or dna scans are coming....no need for physical touch. A.I. will be able to verify its you and unlock door/start car. These new scans coming soon are invisible and dont rely upon any physical touching, no looking into a camera/scanner.

Proximity scanner will unlock door, the car verifys it's you and starts the car (nothing to carry, nothing to touch). Yep they are that good and reliable.

 

[RayK]

Is it the new underscreen ones? I heard those are much less reliable than the dedicated sensors that used to be in the back (my phone is older and still has a rear fingerprint reader, which is very reliable; only doesn't work when I have wet fingers). A workaround is to register the same finger multiple times (so it can get more reads) and also a finger from a different hand as a backup.

Samsung XCover Pro has a FPR built into the physical power button on the right side. I've registered 3-4 fingers at a time, both left and right hands, but after a couple of weeks/months my prints are not recognized any more so I'm forced to use the PIN. It's akin to walking up to my car [picking up my phone], having the phone not being recognized / detected as you pull on the handle [trying to get one of my fingers to activate the phone], waiting a few seconds/moving the phone into a new position before pulling the door handle again [trying different fingers on the sensor], finally giving up and using the keycard/fob backup [forced to using the PIN as the number of unsuccessful biometric attempts exceeds the preprogrammed limit].

I've dealt with what I consider an unreliable entry method for my phone (the fingerprint sensor) that I would never want to duplicate that with a car. It's bad enough that the phone-as-a-key requires some backup (I use a fob) as the walk-up detection still fails for me a bit less than 5% of the time. As usual, it seems to happen when it's raining or I'm in a hurry to get going - one of the stipulations of Murphy's Law.

 

[KenC]

Not keen on the reliability of a fingerprint reader or eye/facial scan, as the reader or camera are exposed to weather. Low-energy bluetooth seems to work fine, and who doesn't carry a phone nowadays?

 

[launchd]

I don't believe the phone will be replaced anytime soon. The automotive industry moves at a snail's pace. Also, the accuracy, reliability and most important, cost to implement another technologically advanced solution at scale is a challenge that still needs to be overcome.

(photo from this Car and Driver article)

 

[RayK]

Not keen on the reliability of a fingerprint reader or eye/facial scan, as the reader or camera are exposed to weather.

Not to mention the high probability of having gloves on one's hands, especially in your part of the country during wintertime, which would necessitate the removal of said garment just to enter your vehicle.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I'd say that fingerprint scanners might be next, but I can't think of anything that beats having the car lock/unlock when you have your phone in your pocket (when it works).

Imagine going back in time to the 1980s:

"In the future, your car will unlock when you come near it."
"How will it know?"
"Because you'll have your phone in your pocket."
"A telephone in your pocket?"
"Well, they're a lot smaller in the future."
"You have to carry your phone all the time?"

You need to be more specific.

The changes during the 1980s were significant enough that our current state of technology would be much less amazing to a person from 1989 than a person from 1980.

 

[Bikeman]

My hope of what's next is that my cars can reliably recognize phones as a keys. Very often mine can't, or walk-away lock is unavailable. Even when everything is turned on and set correctly and supposed to be working. At the very least, BT from the phone should work, but sometimes it can only open up with the credit card "key" even when the phone is help up next to the mirror, which is where one of the BT antennas is located.

From there, any extra functionality can be programmed, as Tesla and other companies have begun to add. My T app is very full-featured already. Much more is possible. I really don't want any eyeball scanning though.

 

[Bikeman]

Not to mention the high probability of having gloves on one's hands, especially in your part of the country during wintertime, which would necessitate the removal of said garment just to enter your vehicle.

After we all leave work at night in the winter, I would really not want to yell for help if my ungloved finger was stuck frozen to a part of the car when scanning my fingerprint. How embarrassing would that be?

 

[BSparx]

Voice recognition. Perhaps using a user crafted code word.

 

[RayK]

Voice recognition. Perhaps using a user crafted code word.

 

[Bikeman]

"Open the Y driver door, please, HAL." Many have already named their Teslas "HAL." So this fits. "I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that" is then the appropriate response.

 

[SourJellybeans]

finger print security is not reliable, eye scans or dna scans are coming....no need for physical touch. A.I. will be able to verify its you and unlock door/start car. These new scans coming soon are invisible and dont rely upon any physical touching, no looking into a camera/scanner.

Proximity scanner will unlock door, the car verifys it's you and starts the car (nothing to carry, nothing to touch). Yep they are that good and reliable.

I think ideally they'll combine multiple factors, or at least have the option to, so:

- Something you have: a phone doing public key cryptography over BLE or equivalent, or your RFID/NFC keycard as a backup (same as today)
- Something you are: your face, gait, or things like heart rate profile via motion/color amplification
- Something you know: a performed gesture, spoken passphrase, or simple PIN

Even combining all three could still be a fairly low-effort interaction for the end-user: you walk up to your car and perform the super secret wave that is very hard for someone else to mimic in exactly the way you do it. Behind the scenes, your phone started doing its authentication to the car, and the car started analyzing your face/gait/etc. If all 3 match your profile, you're done. If one is off, it asks for an extra authentication method - like a PIN.

We probably even have most of the hardware to do this already, though maybe not an external microphone (it could unlock with 2 factors and only start the car with all 3, though, so the spoken passphrase could be from inside the cabin).

 

[BigNick]

After we all leave work at night in the winter, I would really not want to yell for help if my ungloved finger was stuck frozen to a part of the car when scanning my fingerprint. How embarrassing would that be?

At least it's not a tongue scanner!