BMW, as part of its i series of vehicles, which are introducing concepts novel to both the brand and the automotive environment, has been quite busy working out the kinks in its Autonomous Drive system.
Unlike some other systems that europe has been experimenting with (Euro SATRE concept, for instance) the BMW system has an end goal of creating Algorithms that allow the car to make the sorts of decisions that allow for full autonomy in a highway or non highway driving environment.
In embracing the idea of driving autonomy to the extent that it has, BMW, a company which has been marketing itself for decades as the "Ultimate Driving Machine", has singlehandedly demonstrated that there is a a fundamental concession that has to be made in the near future in terms of control of your vehicle. On a more fundamentally philosophical level, the power of marketing on the sheer enjoyment of driving has significantly diminished and companies are realizing that, even if they may be able to market on such concepts for this year and perhaps the next, they need to have a longer term philosophical strategy, and supporting technology, to switch emphasis to issues of quality of life for passengers and the mitigation of congestion.
It would not be surprising to see BMW publishing some studies in the near future about the mitigation of a driver environment which has to accomodate both a passive driver and an active driver, depending on the situation.
To us, that is the next step forward in ergonomics. Till then, please let your immagination run wild and enjoy this link.
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/26/bmw-takes-its-autonomous-5-series-onto-the-autobahn/#continued?a_dgi=aolshare_email
Friday, January 27, 2012
New Concepts for Automotive Interfaces
The Frankfurt Motor show this year was really packed with displays of innovations and visions of future driving scenarios. It has been quite some time since manufactureres have shown such tangible proof of their concern for advancing both the technology behind interface design, and powertrain technology.
This is a refreshing sort of article to see, since it points to the fact that companies are really starting to try and iron out the use of flowing, changing interfaces and are looking at going beyond a physically bound surface when it comes to vehicle interaction. As far as we are concerned, it points to the preparation that is being made to use the interior space in a vehicle as more than just a space in which to sit statically for a long period of time.
The search for a different way to interact with information in the vehicle, to have the passengers and even the driver, physically move their limbs to access information on a larger, more dynamic surface area, indicates that there is a growing faith in the fact that it may be safe for the vehicle occupants to do such things and not be busy conducting the vehicle at all times.
As far as we here at the DTR are concerned, this points pretty baldly at the fact that driverless tech is maturing faster than the general public is expecting it to. Here are a couple of links which point to the best efforts from a couple of prominent manufacturers:
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/12/next-audi-flagship-will-drive-autonomously-in-traffic-jams/?a_dgi=aolshare_email
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/12/mercedes-benz-dice-concept-brings-gesture-controls-to-the-cockpi/?a_dgi=aolshare_email
This is a refreshing sort of article to see, since it points to the fact that companies are really starting to try and iron out the use of flowing, changing interfaces and are looking at going beyond a physically bound surface when it comes to vehicle interaction. As far as we are concerned, it points to the preparation that is being made to use the interior space in a vehicle as more than just a space in which to sit statically for a long period of time.
The search for a different way to interact with information in the vehicle, to have the passengers and even the driver, physically move their limbs to access information on a larger, more dynamic surface area, indicates that there is a growing faith in the fact that it may be safe for the vehicle occupants to do such things and not be busy conducting the vehicle at all times.
As far as we here at the DTR are concerned, this points pretty baldly at the fact that driverless tech is maturing faster than the general public is expecting it to. Here are a couple of links which point to the best efforts from a couple of prominent manufacturers:
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/12/next-audi-flagship-will-drive-autonomously-in-traffic-jams/?a_dgi=aolshare_email
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/12/mercedes-benz-dice-concept-brings-gesture-controls-to-the-cockpi/?a_dgi=aolshare_email
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