IBM, Peugeot to diagnose car faults over Net

From...

By Gillian Law

(IDG) -- IBM and French car maker Peugeot are working together to develop an Internet-based vehicle diagnostic system, the companies announced in a joint statement Tuesday.

IDG.net INFOCENTER PCWorld.com home Free daily newsletters PCWorld.com: Week in Reviews TechInformer Visit an IDG site Choose a site: IDG.net CIO Computerworld Darwin Dummies.com GamePro.com The Industry Standard ITWorld.com InfoWorld.com JavaWorld LinuxWorld Macworld Online Network World Fusion PC World Publish.com UnixInsider IDG.net search

When a car is taken to a Peugeot technician, it will be linked up via the Internet to a central diagnostics server that has knowledge of each vehicle's history.

The server will either be able to identify the problem automatically, or will lead the technician through a series of tests, the companies say.

A record will then be kept of the faults and the steps taken to repair them. The system is "self learning" and will reuse the information when a similar problem arises anywhere else in the world, according to the statement.

The system is expected to reduce warranty costs, labor costs, and the time taken to repair vehicles, the companies say.

About 1.5 million Peugeot cars worldwide will be covered by the service initially, with another 8,000 suitable Peugeot cars being produced every day, the statement says.