At one point Microsoft invented Clippy for Cars

Microsoft has been dabbling in the automotive world for some time now, starting with Windows CE for Automotive way back in 2001, and the company is still providing backend services for car companies via Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform.

Part of that is offering a voice digital assistant for car companies and a recent patent suggests Microsoft was thinking this assistant should take a more active role in running your car.

Microsoft envisions the digital assistant could monitor vehicle information and provide so-called tips that can be related to maintenance operations. It could even book a service appointment on its own, create a new entry in your calendar based on the available slots, and notify the driver when the car needs to be driven to the service centre.

The patent notes:

“The tips provided by the digital assistant are directed to helping the user with tasks associated with vehicles such as knowing when to obtain service such as oil changes, tire inflation, light replacement, brake replacement, fluid level check/fill, or other service. The digital assistant can utilize user information to automatically book service appointments, recommend times for service or other vehicle actions, route changes and so forth. Tips can also include links to a marketplace where recommended services can be obtained.”

The digital assistant would also pop up notifications on the car’s display, and we can imagine it saying “It looks like you are driving to work. Would you like some help navigating?”

The patent has been recently updated, but Microsoft has been working on the technology for some years now, so who knows, your next BMW may be offering to help you out real soon.

via AutoEvolution