Smart Business Magazine, February 2016

February 2016 Smart Business Columbus 19 Chris Rockwell puts it succinctly Detroit is coming to Columbus for help with the 21st century vehicle The one time undisputed king of automobile manufacturing cant do it all anymore It is not so much about manufacturing as it is about the experience that people are having with it and the technologies that are going to help provide that experience says Rockwell about the interest automakers are showing in technologies being studied and developed by organizations such as his company Lextant and The Ohio State University Driving Simulation Laboratory Rockwell founder and president launched Lextant to test products with users to measure their reactions and help refine designs to create exceptional experiences for customers It all adds up to the efforts to put Columbus and Ohio in the drivers seat of innovation which translates into business growth and thats a main goal of JobsOhio the nonprofit economic development corporation JobsOhio is very interested in what OSU and firms like Lextant are doing because their work will potentially bring thousands of jobs to the state says Carla Bailo assistant vice president for mobility research and business development at OSU The OSU driving simulator under the direction of psychologist Janet Weisenberger is one of the assets of the Ohio Smart Mobility Initiative that Bailo launched last year The initiatives goal is to leverage the assets of the university to prepare a workforce for careers in smart mobility the idea that software hardware and networking can combine to address transportation issues What is the Ohio Smart Mobility Initiative The smart mobility initiative is that fundamentally Ohio is going to lead the nation in developing smart mobility and smart city technologies that will have a big impact in how we move people and goods and drive significant job growth Bailo says She says the initiative will address five key areas safety an aging society environment urbanization and sustainable economy The driving simulation lab is a partnership between OSU Honda R D Americas Inc and the Ohio Supercomputer Center It can be used by companies to conduct tests to study eye movement and body reactions to determine what factors are involved in pre crash scenarios How we are going to wake people up if they are in an autonomous product How do we get them re engaged because they need to take over she says Vehicle of tomorrow Technology is flooding into vehicles now Rockwell says and is one of the remaining differentiators that original equipment manufacturers have in delivering customer experience They know that it has to be right It has to integrate with other technologies that we have with us like our phones and devices he says Lextant wants to find what works best The company will test a prototype identify any issues and assess customer experiences with it Then we will have them redesign it so that it is more intuitive easy to use enjoyable minimizes distractions and maximizes enjoyment Rockwell says There is a little bit of a race between Detroit and Cupertino Silicon Valley to see who is going to own the vehicle interface Rockwell says Whatever city takes the lead will be the one who solves challenges such as the digital decay that happens now when you buy a new car You are going to own that car for five or six years he says Imagine how the technology will change in those years based on what has been happening with iPhone or Android interfaces and the like People are going to expect their mobility device to be updated as quickly as a cellphone is and as seamlessly Bailo says The connected and autonomous technologies are on the horizon and they are the ones that have a lot of energy around them trying to figure out what this means for the future of transportation and mobility Rockwell says Its neat that Columbus is at the center of a lot of that We are excited about it How to reach Lextant 614 228 9711 or www lextant com Ohio State University Driving Simulation Laboratory 614 360 3357 or www drivesim osu edu The smart mobility initiative is that fundamentally Ohio is going to lead the nation in developing smart mobility and smart city technologies that will have a big impact in how we move people and goods and drive significant job growth CARLA BAILO ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT MOBILITY RESEARCH AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY Detroit is coming to Columbus for help with the 21st century vehicle CHRIS ROCKWELL FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT LEXTANT