BMW has revealed a preview of some tech they intend to show off at the upcoming CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in January 2017 revolving a reimagined car interior where holographic and gesture control feature heavily.
Called HoloActive Touch, it’s integrated into a concept dashboard that’s devoid of all buttons, with all the information and controls being displayed and operated by manipulating the futuristic holographic interface via hand gestures.
The system is an evolution of AirTouch system that BMW brought to CES 2016 and built into a modified i8 Spyder. It will lean on BMW’s Connected cloud architecture that will consolidate vehicle information, navigation, autonomous driving functions, communication and in-car entertainment.
The press release reads: “BMW HoloActive Touch takes operating these functions and interacting with the vehicle to another level. Similarly to the Head-Up Display, the image of a full-colour display is generated by clever use of reflections – but now in free-floating form within the interior rather than through projection onto the windscreen,”
“It displays flexibly configurable control pads and is visible to the driver next to the steering wheel at the height of the centre console. A camera detects the driver’s hand movements within this ergonomically user-friendly area, and registers the position of their fingertips, in particular. As soon as a fingertip makes contact with one of these virtual control surfaces, a pulse is emitted and the relevant function is activated.”
The newest versions of BMW’s 7 Series (G11) and 5 Series (G30) do employ some gesture-based controls that require only the user’s hand to approach buttons instead of pressing them, but they pale in comparison with what the German automaker might be able to deliver at a large scale in the near future if this is an accurate representation of the technology’s real life potential.
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