Volvo Cars Will Take Voice Commands From The Microsoft Band 2

Volvo has announced that starting this spring, Microsoft Band 2 owners will be able to use the wearable to control their vehicle with just their voice. No, you won't be able to tell your new XC90 to swing around the block and pick you up, but you will be able to remotely unlock the doors, turn on the heater, set navigation, honk the horn, and flash the headlights.

The connection between the Band 2 and the car will be made via Volvo's On Call app. The Band 2 version is a bit of an extension of the app the car maker released earlier this year for Apple Watch and Android Wear, but with the addition of voice commands. It's also another example of collaboration between Volvo and Microsoft, with the two previous revealing an augmented reality showroom with the latter's HoloLens headset.

Only Volvo's newer vehicles which are compatible with the On Call system will be able to accept voice commands, like the XC90 SUV and the upcoming S90 sedan.

While some of the things that can be controlled with voice commands can probably be done just as easily via the car's standard methods, like pressing a button on the key to unlock the door, functions like honking the horn and flashing the lights could be very handy when lost in a big parking lot. Plus, this is the closest we've gotten to talking to KITT from Knight Rider.

SOURCE Volvo