The patent, which was approved last week, describes a system that kicks in if the vehicle owner fails to meet payment obligations, according to New Scientist.
At this point, there are many characteristics that make a car uncomfortable to drive. The system will start by decreasing the GPS function, then turning off the car’s music system and air conditioning. At this point, the car will also play what are described as “annoying noises”.
Moreover, the car will not be able to drive on weekends. However, they can be used on weekdays, so that the owner can work until he can pay for the car. If the owner still cannot pay, the system will return the car to the seller.
Self driving
For this to work, the car would have to be fully automatic, and therefore self-driving, which has been a difficult goal for car manufacturers for a long time. Ford itself has announced that it will reduce its investment in self-driving cars.
Ford did not respond when asked about the utility of the new patent. For his part, security expert Alan Woodward believes there are security risk factors with such a system.
– It would be brave to include such a system in a car. Still, I think many opportunities will open up for car thieves who find holes in the system, Woodward concludes.
“Web specialist. Lifelong zombie maven. Coffee ninja. Hipster-friendly analyst.”
