We've seen dozens of apps that claim to tailor music based on your driving style. And frankly, they all suck. We want something that automatically evolves to suit our mood behind the wheel, and Volkswagen's Play the Road app may be the first to actually deliver – assuming they decide to release it.
To begin with, VW's boffins enlisted the help of the legendary sonic duo Underworld to help create the sounds, synths, and rhythms to create an ever-evolving soundtrack. Then they used an iPhone's accelerometer and gyroscope to track the GTI's maneuvers, followed by cross-referencing it with onboard video and GPS of exactly what the car was doing on the track. After that, they tethered the phone to the car's on-board computer to get speed and engine revs, then ported it all to the Pure Data musical programming language that creates live sound.
The results – particularly the 17-minute-long track in the video below – speak for themselves. It's freaking phenomenal.
Unfortunately, VW isn't releasing the app just yet. Instead, it's putting on a series of events where drivers get to "compose" their own driving arrangement on a closed course. But given the capabilities of those tiny computers in our pockets, there's no reason they couldn't deliver the Play the Road app to the rest of us plebes that can't plunk down the coin for a new GTI.
