Most recent smart car have relied on a car’s on-board diagnostics port to incorporate a bit more brain power to the vehicle. However, a new app called Drone Mobile explores even more directly into your vehicle to give you new heights of control.
When a $550 Drone Mobile remote start module, telematics device and GPS unit is connected to your car’s computer, the app gives you the ability to remotely turn your car off and on with a simple smartphone swipe. As well as starting and turning off the engine, the Drone Mobile app also gives you the power to remotely control the car’s windows and lock or unlock the car’s trunk. The app itself is free, yet the service costs $50 per year or $120 for a premium version. The first 90 days are free.
Bryan Park, the project manager for Drone Mobile parent company Firstech, stated that the premium version adds GPS tracking, which keeps tabs on the car in the event of theft or if a loved one has borrowed the vehicle. This feature also lets you track multiple vehicles at the same time. The premium version also comes with a wide range of notifications to help you track on your vehicle. You can get an alert if a certain routed destination was completed. There’s even a “panic” mode that lets you remotely sound the car’s alarms if you think a burglar is nearby or you need help.
There is a desktop version of the control panel, yet the notifications seem far better suited toward mobile device interactions. Park says that the Drone Mobile system can even be used on older models of cars, depending on the skill of the installer of course.
Thus, while the “drone” part of the name is not quite accurate, this is about as close as you can get right now to treating your car like a robot. Both Android and iOS versions of the app are currently available for download.