Social networking in vehicles

Abstract

In-vehicle, location-aware, socially aware telematic systems, known as Flossers, stand to revolutionize vehicles, and how their drivers interact with their physical and social worlds. With Flossers, users can broadcast and share information, communicate with one another, and experience a more information-rich environment. Instead of seeing only a physical reality, a user will see a context-enriched reality, with "tags" provided by their social network, and presented to them by the Flosser. The Flosser turns a moving vehicle into a social networking hub, linking social information with the user's vehicle, allowing the user to learn more about their surroundings from social fabric inputs. It will also allow the user to ascertain the location and contactability of other members of their social network.