A key was once one of the simplest devices you could own. No more. Today's automotive keys are no longer just the simple piece of stamped steel you spend a buck to get duplicated at the neighborhood hardware store. Even the most stripped-down econocar is likely to come with a keyless entry system using encrypted digital hardware. And more expensive models eliminate traditional keys all together, replacing them with a fob and an electronic "Start" button on the dash.
But that's just the beginning.
Two new "smart" key systems promise to bring near iPhone-level capability to your key chain. One is designed to turn young motorists into safer, smarter drivers, while the other can carry a wallet's worth of personal information. And, yes, these intelligent keys will still start up your car. Paul Eisenstein
Ford MyKey
At first glance, the new MyKey looks just like the electromechanical key used on just about every Ford product. It has a smart fob with a microprocessor-based transceiver inside that can be used for keyless entry or to pop open the trunk. But that pedestrian plastic is hiding some slick new tech. MyKey can be configured to limit the driving privileges of teenage drivers—or anyone else you deem as a potentially risky operator—your lead-footed dear Aunt Edna perhaps? "
Use MyKey instead of a conventional Ford key, and the car can't be driven faster than 80 miles an hour. In fact, the car will chime when it hits 45, 55 and then 65 mph. At the same time, the key prevents users from disabling the vehicle's traction control—something young hot rodders certainly like to do—saving your car and your kid from snowy parking lot donuts. Additionally, the vehicle provides an earlier-than-normal low fuel warning, at 75, rather than 50 miles before empty.
Perhaps most pleasing to parents with shattered eardrums, the smart-key system limits the car's audio system to just 44 percent of its maximum volume.
MyKey will make its debut on the 2010 Focus model, and should begin appearing on other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models soon afterwards.
"A key can be used to recognize you uniquely," explains Jim Buczkowski, Ford's director of electrical and electronics systems group, noting that there's actually no physical difference between MyKey and a conventional Ford key. "Software opens the MyKey future. It opens the door to anything." The key could be programmed to customize just about anything connected to a vehicle's electrical bus, adds Buczkowski, from seat preferences to Bluetooth cellphone connectivity.
BMW Smart Key
BMW's new Smart Key doesn't just work for you inside your car, it aims to be an indispensable resource even when you're not driving. The company plans to unveil the key next month at a conference in Paris.
Working with NXP Semiconductors, a European technology company, researchers from the Bavarian automaker have come up with a smart key that could be used for countless daily activities, in or out of your vehicle. It would, of course, unlock and start your car, then serve as a transponder for paying tolls, or for buying gasoline. It would also operate much like the smart credit cards now commonplace in Europe, using radio frequency chips to ring up charges at a grocery store or restaurant.
The opportunity to combine all sorts of functions into a single device—the BMW smart-key equivalent of today's smart phones—certainly has some appeal. But there's also a downside. Lose one key and you could be stranded far from home, possibly without a credit card. And while the BMW prototype features NXP's latest in digitally encrypted chips, security is a cat-and-mouse game, and hackers have proven themselves able to unlock just about anything, given enough time.
But the potential is simply too significant, the experts contend. Tomorrow's digitally encoded keys will likely play a major role in our day-to-day lives, far more than simply opening up the doors to our cars—or even our homes.
參考譯文：
一把鑰匙是你曾擁有的最簡(jiǎn)單的設(shè)備之一。但今天的汽車(chē)鑰匙已不再只是您花一塊錢(qián)就可以在附近的五金店所配的一塊簡(jiǎn)單的印花鋼了。即使是最精簡(jiǎn)的一輛經(jīng)濟(jì)型轎車(chē)很可能也配備了采用加密數(shù)字硬件的無(wú)鑰匙進(jìn)入系統(tǒng)。而更加昂貴的車(chē)型則徹底廢除了傳統(tǒng)鑰匙，取代它們的是儀表板上的一個(gè)掛著飾物的電子“啟動(dòng)”按鈕。
但這僅僅是開(kāi)始。
兩款新的”智能”鑰匙系統(tǒng)承諾帶給你的鑰匙鏈接近iPhone級(jí)別的能力。其中一款系統(tǒng)被設(shè)計(jì)為能夠把那些年輕的乘客轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)楦踩?、更聰明的司機(jī)，而另一款可攜帶一個(gè)存有個(gè)人信息的錢(qián)包。是的，顯然這些智能鑰匙仍然會(huì)啟動(dòng)你的車(chē)。
乍看之下，新的MyKey看起來(lái)就像是幾乎所有福特的產(chǎn)品都用的機(jī)電鑰匙。它有一個(gè)智能掛飾，里面內(nèi)置了一個(gè)以微處理器為基礎(chǔ)的收發(fā)器，可用于無(wú)鑰匙進(jìn)入或彈出打開(kāi)后備箱。MyKey可以設(shè)定限制青少年駕駛員的駕駛權(quán)利——或任何其他你認(rèn)為是一個(gè)潛在風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的操縱者——也許是喜歡超速的親愛(ài)的艾德娜大嬸？
使用MyKey取代傳統(tǒng)的福特汽車(chē)鑰匙，則汽車(chē)行駛速度無(wú)法超過(guò)時(shí)速80英里。事實(shí)上，該車(chē)在時(shí)速超過(guò)45、55和65英里時(shí)將給出語(yǔ)音警告。與此同時(shí)，Mykey能夠防止用戶禁用車(chē)輛的牽引力控制——一些喜歡飆車(chē)的年輕人可能會(huì)這樣做——從環(huán)形雪域停車(chē)場(chǎng)保護(hù)您的車(chē)和您的孩子。此外，車(chē)輛提供了一個(gè)更早的低油量警告，在燃油耗盡前75英里，而不是50英里。
也許最令那些耳膜快要破碎的的父母高興的是，智能鑰匙系統(tǒng)限制汽車(chē)的音頻系統(tǒng)只有最大音量的44%。
MyKey將首先亮相于2010款福克斯上，不久之后會(huì)出現(xiàn)在其他福特、林肯和水星等車(chē)型上。
“一個(gè)鑰匙可用于識(shí)別您的特征，”福特汽車(chē)公司電氣和電子系統(tǒng)集團(tuán)的主管Jim Buczkowski 解釋道，他還指出，實(shí)際上MyKey和傳統(tǒng)福特鑰匙沒(méi)有實(shí)際區(qū)別。 “是軟件打開(kāi)了MyKey的未來(lái)”，Buczkowski補(bǔ)充道，這種鑰匙可以通過(guò)編寫(xiě)程序設(shè)置與汽車(chē)電線連接的任何東西，從座椅參數(shù)設(shè)置到藍(lán)牙手機(jī)連接。
寶馬公司的新的智能鑰匙并不僅僅為在車(chē)中的你工作，它的目標(biāo)是成為一個(gè)不可或缺的資源，即使您沒(méi)有駕駛。該公司計(jì)劃在下個(gè)月巴黎舉行的會(huì)議上揭開(kāi)這種新智能鑰匙的面紗。
與歐洲的一家科技公司NXP半導(dǎo)體公司合作，來(lái)自德國(guó)巴伐利亞汽車(chē)制造商的研究人員已經(jīng)開(kāi)發(fā)出了一種智能鑰匙，可用于不計(jì)其數(shù)的日?；顒?dòng)，無(wú)論是在車(chē)輛內(nèi)還是在車(chē)輛外。他可以，當(dāng)然，首先解鎖和啟動(dòng)你的車(chē)，然后作為一個(gè)轉(zhuǎn)發(fā)器支付通行費(fèi)，或購(gòu)買(mǎi)汽油。它還可以像現(xiàn)在在歐洲司空見(jiàn)慣的智能信用卡一樣運(yùn)作，使用無(wú)線電頻率芯片向一家雜貨店或餐廳支付費(fèi)用。
能夠?qū)⒏鞣N功能有機(jī)的集成到單個(gè)器件上——寶馬智能鑰匙相當(dāng)于今天的智能手機(jī)——顯然有一定的吸引力。但也有缺點(diǎn)。在遠(yuǎn)離家鄉(xiāng)的地方丟失了鑰匙會(huì)讓你陷入困境，很可能也沒(méi)帶信用卡。而對(duì)于寶馬的原型功能NXP的最新數(shù)字加密芯片來(lái)說(shuō)，安全是一個(gè)貓捉老鼠的游戲，黑客已經(jīng)證明只要有足夠的時(shí)間他們就可以對(duì)任何東西實(shí)現(xiàn)解鎖。
但是專家們主張，潛力是非常重要的。未來(lái)的數(shù)字化編碼的鑰匙可能對(duì)我們的日常生活發(fā)揮重大作用，遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)只是簡(jiǎn)單的用于打開(kāi)我們的汽車(chē)，或是我們家的大門(mén)。
（轉(zhuǎn)載）
