Center stage at the CES, the connected car
The Consumer Electronics Show took place at the very beginning of this year, and, as was expected, the connected car was the star of the event. Now it’s time to see what actually really happened there and what new things car manufacturers came on stage with.
The Mercedes-Benz F 015 Luxury in Motion self-driving vehicle
Mercedes-Benz had already revealed the idea behind this concept car before CES. It’s probably the most futuristic design model for a connected car at the moment. The front seats can be rotated 180 degrees, and there is touch functionality everywhere, as well as eye movement features and touch recognition.
The sleek design is not only attractive, and takes you back to those SF movies, but it’s also designed to absorb impacts. For the first time, the interior doesn’t resemble much how a car looks like, but instead is like a hi-tech mobile working environment.
The car even went for a test drive to show participants how the four occupants of the car can have a conversation while the car drives itself.
Ford announced SYNC 3
The CEO of Ford, Mark Fields, said that autonomous vehicles will be on the roads in about five years. Today, Ford cars already have smart features, like adaptive cruise, automated parking systems, lane and pre-collision assistance, and pedestrian detection.
Now, they are currently testing a vehicle that is fully autonomous and uses a 3D map of the surroundings. The system of the Fusion Hybrid works with algorithms that calculate where pedestrians and cars might move.
Ford also announced the release of its new infotainment system, SYNC 3. The system has an 8-inch touch screen, AppLink, improved graphical user interface, and faster processing. All of these features prove that the new system was designed to help the user by being more efficient.
What Hyundai brought to CES
Among the warnings and the navigation status that pretty much all connected cars out there have now, Hyundai cars will have a heads-up display that will “highlight street signs, point to turns and warn of impending accidents,” according to an article on Indystar.
The system will also be able to connect to a wearable device and vibrate to alert the driver in case something is about to happen. Hyundai also plans to bring out a feature that will help a connected car navigate in tight places, and it will even virtually draw the road on the windscreen. How cool is that? That can really help the driver, especially when it’s night, rainy, or even foggy weather.
A new added feature I’d never heard about until now would be an infotainment system that will have 3D gesture recognition so that you will be able to communicate with the car just by swiping your hand in the air.
Audi A7 drove itself 500 miles
Yes, you read that right. The car drove to “the tradeshow from California to Nevada,” as The Guardian says. Those are the two US states that allow self-driving cars on the roads.
The car had to stop at the state line in order to switch license plates because each state has different regulations when it comes to autonomous vehicles.
Even though the car is a prototype, Audi says that car will become a reality in probably five years.
The connected car dream
It’s all a matter of time before we’re able to own our precious connected car and have a car that can drive itself while we sit back and relax.
Have you been to CES this year, or do you plan on going next year? I definitely want to attend CES and see the newest releases in this industry.
What’s your favorite technology so far? Let me know in the comments.