Forbes -- Automakers are introducing new, high-tech features considerably faster than many drivers can learn how to use them or even fully understand what they do, according to a couple of recent studies.

But even older consumers see the value in some of the newer features, especially blind-spot warning systems and back-up cameras, according to research from The Hartford insurance company and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Age Lab.

Nearly all of the respondents in a Hartford/MIT study of drivers ages 50 to 69 said they would be willing to buy a car with at least one of the seven auto technologies in the study: back-up cameras, blind-spot warning systems, collision avoidance systems, lane departure warning systems, smart headlights, parking assistance and adaptive cruise control.

That list is in order of preference, in terms of being linked to safety. Back-up cameras, blind-spot warning systems and collision avoidance were the highest rated.

Collision avoidance systems can bring a car to a complete halt if sensors detect the distance to the car ahead is shrinking too fast, and if the driver either ignores a warning alarm or doesn’t brake hard enough. “Smart” headlights turn the beams in tandem with the steering wheel.

Parking assistance, used in parallel parking only, measures the size of a parking place and moves the steering wheel to direct the car into a space. The driver has to apply the brake and shift when needed.

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimhenry/2015/11/28/older-drivers-are-ok-with-tech-features-if-they-improve-safety/?mc_cid=78f79c9d41&mc_eid=4c2ab888bb

4-6-2017, Entrepreneur.com -- When talking about your business, it’s likely that at some point you’ve referred to it as your baby. But do you really love your business as if it were your own child? Researchers from Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland, decided to put this question to the test in a recent study.

When examining the brain activity of the study participants, the scientists found that  “entrepreneurial love is strikingly similar to paternal love,” and that the parts of the brain that come alive when processing emotions, rewards and social understanding occurred with both.  

The researchers scanned the brains of 42 men divided into two groups. Twenty-one participants were fathers ranging in age from 27 to 43 and 21 were entrepreneurs ranging in age from 24 to 45.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

Automotive IT -- Despite greater focus on digital technologies throughout the auto industry, carmakers are  still struggling with digitalization, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by management consultants Batten & Company, found that the auto industry lags behind most other industry sectors in the implementation of digital technologies.

For their research, the consultants developed a so-called “digital automotive index” that measures 70 factors. They then compared the pressure from customers, suppliers and competitors to digitize with the actual degree of digitalization in the industry.

According to the study, only Mercedes-Benz, VW and BMW scored well in the study. Land Rover and Kia were at the bottom of the 20-brand ranking.

“All are talking about digitalization, but many managers aren’t focusing on what is essential: What does an automaker need in concrete terms to address in a targeted and solution-oriented way the growing digitalization pressure ,” said Tobias Goebbel, Batten managing partner.

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.automotiveit.com/study-automakers-struggle-with-digitalization/news/id-0049757