If there was any device we could stand to be a little smarter for us, it’s our cars. They cost thousands of dollars upfront, are financially draining to maintain and we put our lives at risk on the assumption that they work, yet most of us know very little about how they do so. Cars are an Internet of Things market sweet spot. There’s the aforementioned need, matched with a huge market of existing cars crying out for connectivity.
Automatic, a smart hardware plugin for your car, has announced integration with Internet automation service IFTTT. IFTTT works by allowing users to create “recipes” that combine a trigger with an action. Automatic’s triggers include turning the ignition on or off, location, the check engine light and completion of a trip. While the service is bound to have some overlap with IFTTT’s new Location channel, it does add lots of potential for some neat interactions. Sample recipes include emailing your mechanic when your check engine light comes on, automatically logging work trip mileage in a Google spreadsheet and notifying friends when you leave or arrive.