If you own a car, you may have found yourself more than once or twice stumped as to what's wrong with it. You hear a strange sound coming from the engine, but you can't see anything that could be the issue.
As of last Wednesday, automaker Å KODA has released an artificial intelligence-(AI) based app that can tell you exactly what's going on with one of its cars merely by listening to it.
The 'Sound Analyser' app records the car noises and compares it with pre-recorded sound patterns of 'healthy' Å KODAs.
SEE ALSO: 20+ GREATEST INNOVATIONS AND INVENTIONS OF AUTOMOBILE ENGINEERING: FROM THE FIRST ENGINE TO TODAY
Car mechanics' lives have just become easier thanks to the Sound Analyser. In fact, since June 2019 already 245 Å KODA dealers in 14 countries including Germany, Russia, France, and Austria are trying out the app in real life as part of the pilot project.
After listening to the running car, You may also like: car diagnostic. the app uses an AI algorithm to run through stored sound patterns of the car in question. It can then figure out what the issues are, if there are any, and how they can be fixed.
The result is efficient and accurate car maintenance, which is meant to minimize the time a Å KODA car spends in a garage to ultimately create higher customer satisfaction.
Stanislav PekaÅ™, Head of After Sales at Å KODA AUTO, said, "Sound Analyser is a prime example of the new opportunities digitalization at Å KODA can create, even in terms of after sales. We will continue to consistently use artificial intelligence technologies to offer our customers an even more personalized service, thus enhancing the customer experience even further."
As it stands, the current software is able to analyze 10 patterns with an accuracy of up to 90%, per the automaker. Some of these patterns include the steering system, the air conditioning compressor, and the clutches in the direct-shift gearbox, per Å KODA. The app is set to be able to recognize more than 10 patterns.

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A lot of things about the 90s get a rose-tinted treatment, but if you think there were more red cars back then, you're actually right. Reddit user Feemiror posted this illustrative breakdown of car colors by year of production, which paints-literally-the rise of monochrome compared to the relatively flamboyant 90s.
I should note that the data is sourced from Poland, but if you're hoping for the situation to be any better in the U.S., unfortunately it isn't. Over 23 percent of cars last year in the US were white and another 23 percent were black, mk908p $2000
. while purple languishes, unloved, as the least popular. Even though it seems obviously clear that if you can make your car obnoxiously purple, you should.
Globally, the situation is even worse. According to PPG, who make automotive paint so I assume know what they're talking about in their annual automotive color survey, 39 percent of cars worldwide were white in 2018, which makes it almost optimistic that it dropped a percent to have only 38 percent of 2019's share.
Back in 2018, PPG predicted the rise of green based on the slightly slim hopes of 2 percent of SUVs going Kermit-flavored. But they did have to acknowledge things have been getting steadily more boring since the 90s:
Jane Harrington, PPG's global manager of automotive OEM coatings, said at the time "While consumers are often choosing conservative colors for automobiles, such as white or black, green has historically been an incredibly popular color choice, particularly in the ‘90s."
"Beginning in 1999, consumer preferences shifted to more neutral options, shrinking green's popularity each year. While green makes up a small percentage of the current overall color preferences for 2018, future trends in the automotive industry are reflecting the popularity of green in home décor and wall colors, furniture, consumer electronics and more."
Sadly, it didn't manifest but PPG are keeping the faith. Yes their color of the year 2020, Chinese Porcelain, looks like if Ford Blue wore nothing but sweatpants for four months but they're now reporting a pickup in blue cars overall in Europe and North America, with 11 and 10 percent of the markets going to azure shades, respectively.
So cars are getting more boring. But you can do your bit to keep things exciting, here's a thread full of ideas.

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Kevin Bacon "would love" to star in the upcoming reboot of Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
The 62-year-old actor had a dialogue-free cameo role in the original 1987 movie, in which he beat Steve Martin in a race for a New York taxi cab. The film is now being revisited with Will Smith and Kevin Hart in the main roles - and Bacon has put himself forward for a bigger part this time around.
"They haven't called me, but I'm gonna call them!" he told Britain's NME website. "To me, that is the greatest idea. I'm not really in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. I don't think of it as my movie at all. But yeah, I would love to be in that."
Among Kevin's other hopes for the future is a potential part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He starred as Sebastian Shaw in 2000 movie X-Men: First Class and, since the franchise is owned by Disney, he's hoping to land a future role.
"I haven't had many chances to work in the Marvel universe or even the comic book world," he said. "I love that franchise. And would love to be a part of it."
Smith and Hart are set to co-produce the Planes, Trains and Automobiles remake with Paramount, and while a director has yet to be attached to the project, Brooklyn Nine-Nine writer Aeysha Carr has penned the script, making her feature-film debut.

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NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) - Turkish Cypriots vote Sunday to choose a leader who'll explore, with rival Greek Cypriots, whether there's enough common ground left for a deal to end the island's decades of ethnic division.
Analysts predict a race between leftist incumbent Mustafa Akinci, center-left CTP party leader Tufan Erhurman and hard-right candidate Ersin Tatar.
The election in Cyprus' breakaway north is likely to head into a runoff in a week's time. Most opinion polls put Akinci into the second round, against either Tatar or Erhurman.
The first major test for the winner will likely be a meeting hosted by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres that will bring together the two sides with Cyprus' three ‘guarantors' - Greece, Turkey and Britain - to scope out the chances of resuming frozen peace talks.
The Mediterranean island has been divided between a Greek Cypriot south - seat of the internationally recognized government - and the breakaway north since 1974, when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Decades of talks have failed to deliver a peace deal.
All polls agree that the Turkish Cypriots, politically isolated and dependent on Turkey both economically and militarily, have placed a peace deal delivering them back into the international fold as the top campaign issue.
But with Turkey now openly dictating terms on the kind of peace deal it wants, analysts say the theme that's resonating with voters more than ever before is whether Turkish Cypriots will retain some degree of control over their future, or submit completely to Ankara's diktats.
Many Turkish Cypriots "are clinging more to the defense of their identity" in response to Turkey's heightened assertiveness, said political analyst Tumay Tugyan.
As a reminder of who's pulling the strings, just days before the election Ankara - in coordination with Turkish Cypriot authorities - opened to the public a beach in uninhabited Varosha, 46 years after the Famagusta suburb's Greek Cypriot residents fled advancing Turkish troops.
Many Turkish Cypriots saw the move as a ploy to boost support for Tatar - a staunch proponent of fully aligning Turkish Cypriot policies with Ankara's.
Ensconced in a state in the north of Cyprus that's recognized only by Turkey, Turkish Cypriots have strived for legitimacy since declaring independence in 1983.
The accepted arrangement under which that would happen has been a negotiated deal with the majority Greek Cypriots to unify two separately administered zones under a central government.
But numerous rounds of U.N.-mediated negotiations on that basis have led nowhere. Greek Cypriots see a Turkish Cypriot demand for a permanent Turkish troop presence and Turkish intervention rights, as well as equal decision-making rights at all levels, as key stumbling blocks to an agreement.
Many in the Turkish Cypriot right now call for a shift away from federation, toward an arrangement between two equal, sovereign states. That mirrors the position of Turkey, which has pushed for alternatives to federation since the latest failed talks in 2017.
The Turkish Cypriot right generally favors closer ties with Turkey, which bankrolls their economy and maintains more than 35,000 troops in the north.
Tatar, 60, who heads the Turkish Cypriot government and leads the right-wing UBP party, says both sides should have equal sovereignty and sees a two-state solution as a viable alternative to federation.
He insists that an agreement with Greek Cypriots to divide up rights to potential offshore gas and oil deposits should precede peace negotiations. He's also pushing for the development of Varosha.
Tatar's popularity has suffered from his administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, following a recent sharp increase in confirmed cases.
Veteran leftist politician Akinci, 72, is seeking a second five-year term. He's a strong supporter of a federal accord with Greek Cypriots and a champion of Turkish Cypriots who oppose Turkey's complete dominion over their affairs. While not discounting Turkish Cypriot dependence on Turkey, Akinci insists on a relationship of "mutual respect."
...

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Malaysia Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will deliver updates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic from his home later today as he undergoes two-week quarantine that began yesterday.
Muhyiddin, 73, had come into contact with Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, who tested positive yesterday. They were in Sabah together. Other politicians ordered to quarantine at home include the health chief himself, Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah.
The Prime Minister will address the nation at 6pm through video call.
Muhyiddin already tested negative for the virus after returning from the Sabah elections earlier last week. He was in Sabah campaigning for the state elections that drew more than a million citizens to the polls.
Unfortunately, being in close contact with Zulkifli meant that Muhyiddin was required to undergo more swab tests and two weeks of home-isolation until results came out negative.
Malaysia recorded the highest number of new COVID-19 infections today at 691. The country has a total of 13,504 infections, and the death toll stands at 141.
Other stories to check out:
‘F*ck Politics!' banner in Ipoh pretty much captures Malaysia's mood right now

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Singapore's prime minister testified in court Tuesday at the start of his defamation suit against a blogger who shared an article on Facebook linking the leader to a corruption scandal.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong accuses Leong Sze Hian of spreading false claims about him over the article relating to the money-laundering scandal at state fund 1MDB in neighbouring Malaysia.
Critics say the case is the latest example of the tightly-regulated city-state's government being heavy-handed and seeking to silence dissent online.
Singapore's leaders have frequently turned to the courts to take on critics, ranging from political opponents to foreign media outlets, and insist such action is necessary to protect their reputations.
Taking the stand at the start of the trial, Lee accused Leong of making "malicious and baseless" allegations, which had undermined the government's "integrity and honesty".
The article that Leong shared, originally published in a Malaysian news portal, alleged that Lee was the target of an investigation in Malaysia over the 1MDB state fund.
Billions of dollars were looted from the investment vehicle in a scandal that involved Malaysia's former leader Najib Razak and his inner circle.
Lee, 68, also said he suffered damage to his own reputation.
Leong's lawyer Lim Tean argued the libel suit was unnecessary as authorities had denied the allegations, adding the prime minister had "picked on the defendant when there are many others who shared the (defamatory) article".
The case will run until the end of the week.
On Friday, Lim, who is also an opposition politician, was arrested on suspicion of harassment and misappropriating money and claimed the move was politically motivated. Police denied his claim.
Singapore's leaders are sensitive to allegations of graft, but rights groups frequently accuse them of resorting to tough laws to silence criticism.
Last year authorities introduced a law against online misinformation, which empowers ministers to order the blocking of social media posts they deem false, sparking criticism that it would chill free speech.
mba-sr/rbu

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