Tag: Ford Motors

Ford’s Keyfree Password Manager Blows the Heads Off Competition

Ford has been desperately seeking a competitive advantage in creating an exceptional and undeniable driving experience, and their efforts have really paid off with this next innovation.

Quite simple in its design, it is a Chrome extension that stores all your passwords for Google, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and many others. Combine this with a previously authorized smartphone, and you have a device that automatically logs you into all of your accounts upon approaching your computer.

When combined with Ford’s NFC key fobs, you get instant access to your automobile with all your favorite sites unlocked and waiting for you inside. That’s truly a remarkable experience, in-car or otherwise. Getting access and staying connected is as simple as proximity; no need to remember, no need to type. It’s called Ford keyfree.

Take a Look:

Forget about asking why Chevy and Chrysler don’t offer this technology, why doesn’t Apple or Google? It’s password management technology that jumps leaps and bounds ahead of the competition, and it’s from an automobile company. That’s pretty damn impressive!

While it isn’t available in the United States yet, it is on the way. In fact, we can expect to see a lot more innovation of this variety coming from Ford in the near future. The company has been funding a big open-source initiative and they are hungry for technology that puts the driver at the forefront of the in-car experience.

Ford recently put resources and tools in place to make collaboration, innovation, integration, and development a mutually beneficial experience. They are seeking out engineers, inventors, app developers, scientists, and entrepreneurs to help them make the automobile more interactive. They have also partnered with companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google, and many others, in hopes of bringing concepts to reality.

With their efforts so keenly focused on innovation and strategic partnership, there are bound to be a lot of developments rolling down the production line. We’ll keep you informed as Ford continue to seek out new avenues for refining automobiles and our driving experience.

June 21, 2012
Ford Pilots the Motor City Innovation Exchange Program

Ford is working to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation in the business and design communities. It began with the creation of their cutting-edge Tech Shop, which gives Ford’s employees access to high-tech resources and material for design and creation. Next, they made some refinements to their Patent Incentive Program to allow employees to get credit for their intellectual discoveries.

Now Ford is sponsoring the Motor City Innovation Exchange. The exchange is a physical extension of the Detroit-based AutoHarvest Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization set up by automotive executives hoping to facilitate connections between the industry and local entrepreneurs.

William Coughlin, CEO of Ford Global Technologies comments on Tech Shop and the Motor City Innovation Exchange:

“There was a time not so long ago in this business when ideas that were ‘not invented here’ got easily dismissed,”

“The competitive pressures in the auto industry today are greater than ever, with demands for improving quality, safety, technology and of course fuel efficiency, so we are both encouraging and looking for new ideas wherever we can find them.”

“Bringing TechShop to Detroit was the critical first step in the creation of the Innovation Exchange,”

“It will be an open meeting place that will enable inventors to showcase what they create in TechShop and then negotiate, network and even sell their prototyped solutions to players in the automotive industry, from manufacturers and suppliers to research institutions and startups.”

Additionally, TechTown, Wayne State University’s business incubator, will hold regular sessions at the Innovation Exchange in order to educate and advise innovators and creators who take advantage of Tech Shops’s resources. The sessions will cover a variety of relevant topics and be presented by the school’s instructors.

Ford will also be sponsoring something they call the Jump Start Program. Essentially, Ford will be helping small businesses and entrepreneurs get set up on smaller operations which seek to market the manufacture products designed and inspired through Tech Shop and the Motor City Innovation Exchange. More information on how to take advantage of the Ford Land resources are available through thisFordland.com link.

Here’s a quick recap of what Ford is doing o fuel innovation in the community:

* Ford’s intellectual property licensing group to open Motor City Innovation Exchange providing a showroom for innovators to show off their creations to peers and potential customers

* Working with TechShop, the nonprofit AutoHarvest Foundation and Wayne State University’s TechTown, Ford is helping entrepreneurs commercialize their creations

* Ford Land is now offering the Jump Start program to provide more affordable work/hacker space along with support to help spur job-creating businesses

Coughlin again comments:

“Like every industry, the automobile business was built and thrived on innovation,”

“As personal transportation is reinvented in the 21st century, the challenges facing the industry are greater than ever and fresh ideas are essential to success.”

“Ford is pleased to be leading the way through its connections with TechShop, AutoHarvest Foundation and TechTown,”

May 31, 2012
Ford Motors Tech Shop Inspires Innovation

Ford Motor Company has opened a do-it-yourself technology and fabrication shop in Michigan. The idea behind the shop is to give employees a playground for innovation, an area where creative tendencies can find inspiration and lead to breakthroughs in the market. To get their current workforce interested in trying out the facility, they are offering a free three month membership to what is fittingly called, TechShop.

Yes, it isn’t always going to be free, but at just $99/ month, it offers access to some pretty cutting-edge equipment. Many of Ford’s engineers and designers have already taken advantage of the shop after its opening in late December.

Ford safety electronics manager, Steven Schondorf comments on TechShop:

“The process of experimenting at TechShop by taking an idea, visualizing what it should be and translating it to a real object helps me to be more creative in my work on a regular basis.”

Ford is hoping these off the clock experiments will help facilitate a creative spirit and lead to innovations in the workplace. It isn’t just for fun, it’s about supporting and nurturing creativity in the broader community.

James Marleau, expert in door technology and functionality at Ford speaks about TechShop:

“We have a very holistic approach when we look at doors, we look at everything as an entire system that has to work together to give drivers the quality they expect and the results they need.”

“TechShop is very people-friendly, and everyone wants to collaborate,”

“Everyone brings their own piece of knowledge to the table. When I’m there, I might be attacking something from one direction, but someone else will suggest another way, which can give me a new way of looking at a problem.”

John Jaranson works in the research lab at Ford looking for ideas on how to trim the bulk from existing vehicles seating designs and still retain comfort. He says the TechShop has really stimulated his creativity, and was oner of the first to sign up.

John Jaranson comments on TechShop:

“With this kind of design, I don’t know any other way I would have been able to make this without TechShop,”

“I think the creative community in the area is growing, when I come here, there are always people working. You can see small communities in TechShop growing. It’s exactly the kind of thing I want to be a part of.”

We should be seeing some great ideas coming out of this shop in the months to come. It will be exciting to see how fast technology can leave the shop and make it on to the production floor. Of course they will have to address patent rights and logistical things like that, but I think it’s a great idea and a huge step for facilitating innovation.

May 7, 2012