InprisWay ensures drivers watch the road, drive safely
Users can answer calls and text messages, find the best route, and change music choices all with the flick of a thumb while keeping their eyes on the road.
By HAGAY HACOHENThe ImprisWay device used in driving(photo credit: INPRIS)
Israeli technology company Inpris offers drivers an innovative way to increase their safety on the road while keeping up to date with e-communication, with a simple device that can be installed on their steering wheel. On Monday, the Transportation Ministry announced a tax reform meant to increase road safety, showing how in demand such technology is.Called InprisWay, the device has four arrows, each arrow allowing the user to control how to respond to e-communication from their phone. When a text is received, the driver doesn’t need to glance at the phone to see if it’s important, by flicking a thumb the AI will read out who the message is from and what it is. The driver can respond by speaking a message that will be texted later, or simply use his thumb to send “I’m driving” to the other end.The options also include picking the best road to travel to avoid traffic, choosing music to listen to on the way, and accepting calls (or declining them) as they arrive. Unlike other solutions, InprisWay doesn’t require voice commands, which can be hard for the AI to understand if the car is, for example, packed with talkative children. One also doesn’t need to type locations for the AI to calculate a route, just flick the thumb, pick your destination, and there you have it.In addition, the device offers companies that have a large fleet of cars the ability to monitor the performance of the drivers and improve efficiency, Inpris CEO Nissan Yaron told The Jerusalem Post. “We also included something that is new in this country,” he said, “we warn trucks ahead of time if the route they plan ahead includes a low bridge that they might collide into.”The app also allows the user to see not only where the car is, but how it is in relation to a route. So a school secretary getting a call from a worried parent about where the school bus is can answer “the bus will be there in 6 minutes” and not merely “today there is bad traffic.”“We have a holistic view of the driving experience,” Yaron said. “It’s much more than just an easier app to hear music with. We want you to keep your hands entirely off the phone as you drive.”At a cost of NIS 330 the device is a solid purchase, as on Monday the Transportation Ministry announced a reform in taxes had been approved.Israel already offers tax breaks on safety systems when purchasing a new car, dependent on the safety features the car has. For example, the beeping sound a car makes when you drive backwards, or a camera that lets you see the sides of the vehicle as you park were included.AdvertisementThe reform actively supports systems that can “takeover” some aspects of the driving when risk is detected. A car which stops automatically during an emergency will now be rewarded with 2.5 points. Ten and half points earn the purchaser NIS 2,500 back, Calcalilst reported last year when the reforms were first announced.While InprisWay was said to be a “safety ensuring” device by the National Authority for Road Safety, it still didn’t pass official testing to grant it points in the new tax system, Yaron told the Post.He pointed out that he created the device in response to the 2018 Shafer Committee report which called for a tech solution to be created in the first place seeing as many accidents are caused when drivers are distracted.“Our solution contributes to safety,” he said, and added that he hopes it will be included in the new tax system.
