The era of autonomous, self-driving vehicles being upon us, the upcoming CES in Vegas is the place to be. For wheel lovers, this year’s most anticipated booth is that of the BMW group, who will showcase a Virtual Reality drive into their brand new BMW Vision iNEXT vehicle.
We have come to expect great things from Consumer Electronic Show. While certainly looking forward to see Vuzix Blade in action, BMW offering has us fixed on 8-11 January. It is the unique opportunity to sit inside BMW’s latest answer to the questions of automated driving and car connectivity. BMW Vision vehicle will feature the most pleasurable self-driving experience conjured up by the Group, while delivering a most comprehensive Intelligent Personal Assistant to date. Experiencing BMW Vision vehicle will be presented through potent VR and MR lenses.
To acquaint uses with the pleasures of their novel automated driving technology, BMW opted to utilize the perks of Mixed Reality in their presentation. BMW plans to set up an elaborate system whereby users, with the help of Virtual Reality googles, drive BMW Vision vehicle for themselves. After a while, the car itself takes over, showcasing just how easy and functional self-driving really is. The booth is spatially designed so that the experience of driving BMW Vision iNEXT is as close to reality as possible.
Of course, self-driving is never fully autonomous, you need a helping hand to manage the various vehicle functions. Two birds with one stone, BMW group will also showcase the company’s Intelligent Personal Assistant solution. It is the drivers’ interactive companion they could hope for. In fact, the demo starts by the IPA planning the route ahead. After the BMW Vision vehicle takes over, the Assistant controls various digital services as the driver takes the back seat. The Intelligent Personal Assistant is controlled by voice, signaling the new chapter in BMW natural language vehicle interaction. To check out the full list of features it offers, those interested can check out the vehicles coming out March 2019, the new BMW X5 for instance.
Besides the two front page features, BMW Vision iNEXT hosts a myriad of other drive-enhancing tools. The principal among these is surely the Sky Tech design, the latent features that become available only when needed. BMW too, has a lot more to offer during CES in terms of automated driving. The biggest challenge to self-driving future is maneuvering, and the company is coming out with the latest research in the field. We will witness the BMW Motorrad outdoor presentation featuring BMW R 1200 GS self-driving bike.
Elaborate though it is, Virtual Reality proves to be the perfect solution to showcase BMW’s innovation with regards to automation, connectivity, and automated D + ACES services. The idea behind BMW Vision vehicle is to explore drive and design options for the time when cars will drive themselves. The inside needs not only be functional, but also pleasurable; cars will become our favorite spaces and design needs to reflect it. A perfect task for Virtual Reality to portray.
