The Future of Car Maintenance with AI Parts Lead Developer Francesco Tapparo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (October 29, 2020) – Parma, Italy – Francesco Tapparo, Software Developer at AI Parts, started out in the academe before making a move towards software development. He has since redirected his aptitude in mathematics into exploring brand-new, life-changing ways AI can affect the way we live our lives.

Today, he let us in on his work for the AI Parts team and his vision for a future with AI.

AI is the Future

“AI is a field rich in interesting and useful applications. We are getting near real-time automatic translation (think Star Trek) but humbler uses like in mop machines are making them more adapted to, for example, for an elderly home. “ 

Mr. Tapparo thinks highly of how AI can affect the future. 

“Recently I discovered software combining home automation and AI technologies in order to help disabled people. In short, the sky’s the limit for useful and exciting AI apps.”

Unlocking New Opportunities for the Multi-Billion Dollar Automotive Repair Industry

Francesco helps AI Parts build a suite of applications focused on bringing machine learning and AI-enabled technology to the automotive maintenance industry. 

He explains EverDrive, one of the core products of his team:

“EverDrive’s goal is to warn the user in advance when a car component is about to reach the end of its service life. This date is calculated by artificial intelligence using parameters like driving style, car model, the average temperature where the user lives, and so on.”

A sample of EverDrive’s technology can be tested through a widget on the AI Parts website.

But AI Parts’s technology doesn’t stop at helping consumers. 

Another product is focused on improving the services offered by car repair shops. 

“With TechPro, car repair shop owners can use artificial intelligence to assist the mechanics in choosing the best replacement parts for a car. This will save both the customer and the repair shop a lot of time and it will shrink error rate and compatibility issues.”

The impact of TechPro can be critical. It will improve customer experience by providing auto shop managers with faster, more reliable services with a significant impact on inventory management, an important part of any auto repair shop business. 

Last but definitely not least, Francesco is also leading the way in the development of SaidText. SaidText upgrades the voice memo experience by “[processing] vocal messages and automatically [detecting] urgent ones, in order to assist the physician in taking care first of the patients needing immediate attention.” 

This has become increasingly relevant as the global pandemic has created an even more demanding working environment for doctors and other healthcare providers who are the intended users of the product.

Huge Potential

Francesco believes in the future immensely transformed by AI. 

“AI can really have a big impact on people’s life: Think of disabled people who are able to communicate through vocal commands, AI  being able to detect suspicious behavior at airports or, even more crucial, projects using AI to fight COVID-19.”

And the impact of AI in an often ignored sector like the automotive aftermarket can breathe new life into the industry. 

The way the technology from AI Parts is easy to implement makes it an ideal solution even for smaller car repair shops. It also gives them a chance to continually improve their services, fine-tune their sourcing, and increase satisfaction for customers. 

EverDrive, on the other hand, extends the lifetime of their vehicles by automating proper maintenance. This comes at a time where car sales are dropping and people are paying more attention to extending the service life of existing vehicles due to economic instability. 

Francesco shares: 

“Our software is going to make its small part in making these improvements available to a large number of people. It is nice to work on software able to improve the life of so many people at the same time.”

il machine learning jn officina

Making Life Easier

Francesco also opens up to how AI applications like the one he is building at AI Parts will help people direct their focus on the things that matter the most. 

“Time is becoming more and more a precious resource while the world we live in is increasingly getting more complex. AI can help us to save the time otherwise dedicated to basic tasks and to keep it for us, to stay more with our family, to relax a bit, to focus on our hobbies, or to even become more productive. 

Taking charge of these elementary tasks is similar to do complex calculations by hand: it is possible and can be fun sometimes, but more often than that, there will be a better way to spend our time.”

Follow us on LinkedIn for exciting updates about our development.

5 Reasons Why Preventive Maintenance is Your Bestfriend

Preventive maintenance has already become a standard despite current limitations. Car manuals contain crude projections on when certain parts of a vehicle may breakdown. While often insufficient especially in the long run, these serve as a basic guideline of when owners must seek repair or replacement before a big breakdown.

In complex, heavy-duty machines like automobiles, some parts are designed to take the brunt of the wear and tear. For internal combustion engines, the brake pads, spark plugs, tires, belts, even the engine oil all suffer greater degrees of wear and tear compared to the rest of the vehicle. 

Maintenance that is proactive than reactive can have very many advantages for car owners.

With tools like EverDrive from AI Parts, car owners have a more powerful, more accurate, and a more data-driven way of looking at preventive maintenance. Instead of one-off guides, the platform fine-tunes the preventive maintenance needed for every individual car.

While upfront costs and spending are major reasons why consumers skip preventive maintenance, the benefits far outweigh what may initially look like “extra costs”.

Here are some reasons why you should take your car’s preventive maintenance seriously:

Increase Your Car’s Service Life

One of the best things that come out of predictive maintenance is it can increase your car’s service life.

Preventive maintenance helps spot potential failures before they can even happen, therefore limiting its negative impact on the entire vehicle.

Proper preventive maintenance also means your car is spending more time running in the optimum condition which will decrease the usual impact of regular use.

Ensure the Safety of Your Vehicle

The safety of an automobile is always a top priority. Damaged tires, faulty brakes, or failing lights are serious safety hazards. Preventive maintenance keeps these threats away through early replacements or checks so they don’t fail while the car is running 100 km/h on the highway.

Increase Reliability and Avoid Stressful Breakdowns

Nothing is as annoying as having a vehicle fail when you need it the most. Preventive maintenance is probably also the best way to ascertain your car will be ready to run when you need it the most. 

With proper preventive maintenance, the chances of you frantically calling auto repair shops in the middle of nowhere can be as small as possible.

No Lengthy Downtime

When you carry out preventive maintenance, the car spends most of its time on the road in tip-top shape. It is for this reason that you can prevent major breakdowns that can require days or weeks in the repair shop. 

Aside from that, with EverDrive and Techpro from AI Parts, you can work with your mechanic so that compatible parts are there when you need it. 

If EverDrive tells you you might need to switch out your headlights soon, you can inform your mechanic. Your mechanic, as a response, can use TechPro to identify the best lights from the best suppliers that is 100% compatible with your vehicle.

The decreased downtime just takes out a common source of inconvenience for many car owners.

No Surprise Costs

The biggest deterrent to preventive maintenance is cost. But one thing preventive maintenance effectively combats are surprise big repair bills.

Fix issues while they are small or before they even happen and not when they have become a major headache.

Some examples of car problems that blow out of proportion: 

  1. Not replacing a flickering headlight might lead it to shut off at the most inconvenient time (and cost you a hefty ticket if you get caught!). 
  2. Not replacing your windshield wipers can also cause unsightly scratches that can become irreparable. 
  3. Ignoring the need for replacement air filters can eventually result in a choked, worn down engine. An unmaintained car will also burn more fuel for the same amount of work. 

 

At this point, you should understand the great value of preventive maintenance. Ensuring safety, cutting down unplanned costs, and lengthening the service life of a car are just some of the big pluses in maintaining your car and not waiting or an issue to arise.