At Rise of AI 2018 in Berlin, Holger Weiss, CEO of German Autolabs, argues that voice assistants will have their biggest impact not at home but in the car, where drivers cannot look at a screen. He introduces Chris, a retrofit conversational co-driver that connects to a phone via voice and gesture control, built because most cars on the road are old: the average German car is ten years old, and Germany has 47 million cars while the US has 220 million, so a new-car-only assistant would take years to reach the market. Weiss cites growing distraction-related deaths, including the US 'Snapchat effect', and ADAC data on smartphone-related traffic deaths to argue for hands-free interaction. He distinguishes a co-driver from a home assistant like Alexa or Siri: it must understand context such as location, speed, connectivity gaps and cognitive load, and prioritize accordingly, for example not reading an email while a driver approaches a difficult highway exit. German Autolabs worked with the German Ministry of Transport and a Munich traffic psychology professor on modeling driver cognitive load. Chris launched as a pre-order device priced at 299 euros or dollars, in German and English.
Key takeaways
- Holger Weiss argues in-car voice assistants will have more impact than home assistants because drivers cannot look at a screen.
- German Autolabs built Chris as a retrofit device because most cars on the road, averaging ten years old, lack built-in AI systems.
- Weiss cites ADAC data that smartphone use causes more traffic deaths than alcohol and drugs combined.
- A car assistant must work offline, since vehicles regularly lose connectivity in tunnels, garages and rural areas.
- German Autolabs worked with the Ministry of Transport and a Munich traffic psychologist to model driver cognitive overload and underload.
Detailed notes
A retrofit assistant for an aging car fleet
German Autolabs built Chris, a device that fits into any car and connects to the driver's phone, letting them answer emails and text messages by voice and browse contacts with a gesture sensor. Weiss says the company chose a retrofit approach because a system designed only for new cars would take four to five years to reach the road, while the existing fleet is old: Germany has 47 million cars and the US 220 million, with an average car age of about ten years, so most drivers cannot rely on built-in systems from a Tesla or a new BMW.
Distraction is a safety problem, not a convenience one
Weiss cites the German motoring club ADAC, which represents 19 million members, saying more people die in traffic from smartphone use than from alcohol and drugs combined. He also points to data from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showing the first rise in highway deaths in a decade, which the agency calls the 'Snapchat effect'. He argues drivers will keep using phones and infotainment systems for the next 10 to 15 years because widespread autonomous driving is not coming as soon as some claim, so hands-free voice interaction is a safety necessity, not a luxury.
Why a car assistant differs from a home assistant
According to Weiss, natural language processing has crossed a threshold, with recognition accuracy rising from roughly 50-60% to about 90%, letting people speak to a system rather than memorize commands. But he argues a co-driver needs more than recognition: it must work offline, since cars regularly lose connectivity in tunnels, parking garages, rural areas or on 2.5G coverage, unlike a home or office. It also needs contextual prioritization: at a highway exit or a stressful, congested moment, the assistant should not start reading an email, because a driver's cognitive load and the situation's urgency change moment to moment in a way a home assistant never has to track.
Researching cognitive load with the German Ministry of Transport
German Autolabs received funding through the Ministry of Transport's mFund program and worked with a Munich traffic psychology professor to study the driver's 'perfect cognitive load'. Weiss describes an overload scenario, four lanes of rush-hour traffic with a full inbox and a looming meeting, where an assistant reading emails would add danger, and an underload scenario, a long empty highway stretch, where a companion that talks, tells stories or suggests a stop can keep a driver alert.
Launch and pricing
Chris was available as a consumer product for 299 euros or US dollars, with a pre-sale price of 499 during a crowdfunding-style 'Hello Chris' campaign, launching in German and English with French and Spanish planned.
Quotes
There are more people dying in traffic by smartphones than by alcohol and drugs together.
Holger Weiss
It's better if these people have their hands on the wheel and the eyes on the road.
Holger Weiss
Questions answered in this talk
Why does an in-car voice assistant need to work differently from a home assistant like Alexa?
According to Holger Weiss at Rise of AI 2018, a car assistant needs to understand context such as location, speed and connectivity gaps, and must know when not to interrupt, for example not reading an email while a driver approaches a highway exit.
How much did German Autolabs' Chris device cost?
Weiss states the Chris retrofit assistant launched at 299 euros or US dollars, with an early pre-sale price of 499 during the company's 'Hello Chris' campaign.
Why did German Autolabs build a retrofit assistant instead of a built-in car system?
Weiss explains that because Germany's average car is about ten years old and a system built only for new cars would take four to five years to reach the road, a retrofit device could reach far more of the 47 million cars in Germany and 220 million in the US.