Skoda has released an app that listens to your engine and works out whether there’s a problem with it. Called the Skoda Sound Analyser, it’s designed for Skoda service technicians and aims to reduce the amount of time it takes to diagnose and fix a problem – a saving that can, in theory, be passed onto the customer.
It works by comparing the sound of a particular engine with the recorded sound of an equivalent one working perfectly. It’s so sensitive, says Skoda, that “it can recognise even the smallest irregularity in the engine sound and can suggest a range of service measures that might be needed.”
Having been trialled in 14 countries including Germany, France and Russia, the app has been deemed accurate enough to roll out further; the app has so far registered a 90% success rate in diagnosing problems.
The algorithm that underpins it is very complicated, obviously, but it works by reading a spectrogram that’s created from the audio recording the engine, which is taken simply by holding a phone above the engine bay. The algorithm analyses fluctuations in the wave pattern. So far Skoda has focused on ten common components including the steering, the DSG gearbox and the aircon, all of which can be determined as iffy based on an aural reading. Clever stuff.
Here’s what Skoda says about the app, which is apparently only the beginning: “Artificial intelligence is a key pillar of Skoda’s digitalisation strategy. Apps like the Sound Analyser can interact with the environment, perceive and weigh up facts, or solve specific problems. As one of the cornerstones of the company’s 2025 Strategy, artificial intelligence plays a key role for Skoda in advancing the levels of digitalisation even further…this includes not only products and processes but also services.”
Yep, the machines are taking over. We’ll resist invoking Terminator 2 because that would be predictable.
Keyword: Skoda smartphone AI app can hear faults and suggest fixes