DriveTimes five
The best CES car-stuff The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas has become something of a default motor show in the last few years, with car manufacturers scrambling to announce some exciting new piece of car-tech each year. It’s dominated by EVs
BMW HoloActive
BMW’s latest concept builds on the AirTouch gesture control system it showed at last year’s CES (it now features in the production 7-series). However, the HoloActive Touch system goes further by combining gesture control with tech similar to that of head-up displays, so that the information and control-interfaces literally spill out of the screen on the centre console, right at the driver’s fingertips. Cameras track the driver’s hand, detecting when a finger comes into contact with one of the holographic projections, with the driver experiencing ‘‘tactile feedback’’ when scrolling through the virtual menus via ultrasound waves.
Hyundai Smart House
Hyundai’s flagship concept at CES this year wasn’t a self-driving car (although it did have one there). Rather, it was a big hole in the wall. The idea with the Mobility Smart House is that you join your ‘‘hyper-connected intelligent car’’ to a similar hole in your house, not only integrating the vehicle’s systems with the house, but also physically integrating the car and the room. Hyundai says the car could share air conditioning duties with the home’s central system, provide emergency power from its hydrogen fuel cell during blackouts or even physically move its seats into the room space.
Valeo XtraVue
Technology firm Valeo has revealed a new system that will eliminate blind spots entirely when on the move. Valeo’s XtraVue system uses a smart antenna, laser scanner and in-car screen to show drivers what’s happening on the road outside of their line-of-sight by streaming video from other connected vehicles and roadside infrastructure. The system uses public 4G and vehicle-to-vehicle networks, and merges data to create an enhanced view of the road ahead. It essentially allows drivers to see through obstacles.
VW Personalisation
This one probably isn’t all that far away. VW’s new Digital Personalisation system would see users create a profile online, then use that to save their preferred configurations for the digital dash, mood lighting, seat settings and audio settings. Separate user profiles can be used by a number of different drivers for the same car, while the settings can also be exported to another car come trade-in time, or if using another VW equipped with the system. The app also allows you to use a phone as the key (by holding it to the door handle) and integrates with Amazon’s Alexa personal assistant system.
Rinspeed Oasis
It wouldn’t be a proper motor show if there wasn’t a weird Rinspeed concept. Now CES has had that particular oddball stamp of approval, following the debut of the Rinspeed Oasis. Also displayed at the Detroit Auto Show, the Oasis is actually rather reserved for Rinspeed and is a small, super hi-tech city car. The company says the Oasis name is meant to be taken literally, as the car is ‘‘a break from traditional automotive confines.’’ The concept boasts an armchair, a TV and a small garden area, while the large windscreen doubles as an augmented and virtual-reality screen.