Feature would allow drivers to back up vehicles with their phone
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You should never use a smartphone while driving, but Ford is developing away to drive a vehicle with a smartphone.
From outside of it.
Ford has filed for a patent covering technology that would allow someone to remotely control their vehicle while backing it up with a trailer attached.
The automaker currently offers the Pro Trailer Backup Assist feature on several models that uses cameras and sensors to steer a vehicle with a trailer in reverse while the driver turns a knob on the dashboard to point where it needs to go.
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(Ford)
The patent, first reported on by MotorAuthority, appears to be an extension of this that concept.
(Ford)
As explained in the filing, the operator would use an image on the smartphone display to steer the vehicle by rotating the phone while controlling its speed by tilting it forward and backwards.
(Ford)
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Ford has not announced any plans to offer the feature to customers yet, and companies often file for patents on new ideas that never make it to production.
Recent filings from ford have included a climate controlled pickup bed and a manual transmission with a clutch pedal that can operate itself when the driver doesn't want to use it.
Gary Gastelu is Fox News Digital's automotive editor.
