Typically automakers use the cameras built in to their cars to add safety and convenience features like traffic-aware cruise control and back-up cameras.
One of Ford’s latest patents shows they want to use their car’s cameras for something entirely different (and annoying) – advertising.
According to a patent application posted to the United States Patent and Trademark office (USPTO) website, their proposed system use the cameras to watch the surrounding environment for billboards.
Once the billboard has been captured and recognized, a copy or variation of the ad is displayed on the in-car display, just in case you missed it while driving by.
Not only that, but it could also create hyperlinks to take you to the advertiser’s physical shop by using the car’s navigatioin, or bring up a phone number for you to tap and call them.
While it might sound extremely annoying to you as a driver or passenger, Ford is going down this route this because of its potential revenue. Advertising is a major industry (just ask Google), and if Ford can use an innovative way to tap into at least some of that, you can be sure they will at least try.
They could even guarantee themselves revenue from this system by offering a paid ad-free driving experience upgrade.
What do you think of in-car ads like this? Let us know in the comments below.
