MAIA:  A  Commuter’s  Best Friend

BY: EMILY MANN, PAMELA MARTINEZ, DANIEL MRDJENOVICH, DANIEL NGUYEN

Meet Heather“Marketing  manager  by  day,  home  manager  by  night”

Heather is 35-year-old working mother who lives at home with her two kids (Andy, age 4 and Amy, age 6), her husband (Rob, a lawyer), and their dog, Skit.

Heather is a daily commuter who seeks to maximize productivity at all times, manage stress, and keep track of both home and work.

Driving Technology & InterfaceNOW

Key assumption: Car is semi-autonomous◦ Able to drive by itself in heavy traffic and low

speeds (under 25 mph)

Interface technology:◦ Controlled through conversational voice

interactions◦ Also navigated through touch-screen tablet in

center of car (see slide 6)◦ Synched with universal account which gives access

to phone, tablet, and other computing devices ◦ Learns preferences and resumes where you left off

FUTURE

Key assumption: Car is now fully autonomous ◦ Able to drive by itself in any sort of traffic

conditions and speeds

Interface technology:◦ Managed through a variety of gesture, touch,

and conversational voice interactions◦ Also navigated through projected center screen

dashboard that is powered by Kinects (see slide 10)

◦ Windows are now treated as display areas for augmented reality

Meet MAIA

MAIA is a computer-based personal assistant integrated within the car. She gets  to  know  her  driver  through  a  “universal  account”  that  connects  all  her  

devices to her car and one another. Over time, MAIA learns through interactions with the driver and becomes a better friend. She helps

commuters increase productivity and well-being while driving.

MAIA:  A  Commuter’s  Best  FriendNEEDS

Managing Time◦ Minimizing time to and from work by avoiding traffic◦ Maximizing work-related productivity at all times◦ Staying connected to kids and home life

Managing Stress◦ Enjoying her driving experience every single day◦ Having  someone  “in  the  passenger’s  seat”  during  her  

commute◦ Having a helping hand in managing her home and work life

SOLUTION

Managing Time◦ Smart navigation system that connects with other cars to

tell her fastest routes (slide 6,9)◦ Universal account that is connected to her car, phone,

tablet, and other devices◦ Syncs with To-Do list, calendar, etc. to keep her up to date (slide 7)◦ Allows her to work during stretches of predictable low-speed, heavy

traffic (slide 8)◦ In the future becomes her personal meeting space (slide 10)

◦ Video chat with children (slide 9, 11)

Managing Stress◦ Personalized preferences such as temperature, music, etc.

(slide 5, 7)◦ A conversational voice personality that learns about her

preferences as she spends more time in the car (all slides)◦ A personal assistant that updates her on home and work

life (slides 7, 9, 11)

8:00 AMHeather approaches her car and it automatically unlocks as it senses “universal  account”  nearby. The temperature, seat position, and mirrors all automatically adjust to Heather’s  preferences.  She  greets  MAIA via voice command and the system is activated.

8:03 AMMAIA provides updated traffic reports and suggestions for alternate routes as well as estimated arrival times. The map is shown on the tablet while directions are displayed on the car dashboard. Heather communicates with MAIA to decide upon the best route.

8:10 AMMAIA knows Heather likes to start her day on a positive note and leads her through her daily routine. Today, it begins a recap of the news because her company had a huge announcement. In the background, MAIA  plays  music  to  match  Heather’s  excitement.

On other days, MAIA might also walk Heather through some breathing exercises before a presentation at work or give her a snapshot of her day based on her synced to-do list.

8:20 AMMAIA provides Heather with to-do list, reminders for presentations. Before the car hits steady traffic, MAIA politely asks Heather whether it should take over driving. Heather is delighted and shifts to work mode where the steering wheel retracts and is replaced by a tablet and keyboard. Heather is now able to take care of basic work tasks such as replying to emails and communicate with co-workers through video calls.

5:10 PMOn her way home from work, Heather wants to check up on her kids at home while stuck in traffic. She video chats Amy and Skit on the car’s  tablet and notices that someone has spilled milk. Since MAIA is synced with  Heather’s  house  inventory,  she  reminds  Heather  that  was  the  family’s  last  carton  of  milk.  Going  one  step  further,    MAIA  maps  out  the  closest supermarket with the milk Heather buys and suggests Heather stop to save time and avoid traffic.

FutureOnce we reach the point of fully autonomous cars, Heather will no longer have to worry about driving and will be able to take full potential of her commute to work. With all four seats inverted on each  other,  the  car’s  interior  becomes  Heather’s  own  pod.  On  days  she  needs  to  cram before work, as pictured to the right, MAIA shoots a virtual screen in the center for Heather and a hologram co-worker to collaborate on a presentation through gesture, touch, and voice.

On other mornings, Heather might want to de-stress with a immersive mediation and full yoga routine. MAIA leads her through exercises, all within the comfort of her car!

Future On the way home, Heather relaxes while checking up on her children. All windows now become a portal for augmented reality, essentially allowing MAIA to bring any information Heather needs right to her fingertips. In this scene, MAIA knows Heather needs to bring home dinner for the entire family. Instantly, Yelp reviews populate as Heather is driven past local restaurants allowing her to easily pick and choose.