The future of driving: From Disney and Audi's new 'Holoride' experience that puts VR games in every car to the latest in autonomous vehicles at CES
- Audi debuted a 'Holoride' experience that lets users play VR games made by Marvel and Disney inside a car
- Mercedes and BMW showed off concept cars that beam content onto the windows like movies and games
- Hyundai displayed its 'car of tomorrow' with facial recognition, gesture-based controls and 'emoji mode'
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, attendees were given a firsthand look at what the future of driving will look like.
Everything from autonomous 'people-movers' to a VR experience that lets users battle Iron Man from the backseat of a car was on display at the world's largest tech trade show.
Major companies including BMW, Honda and Mercedes had concept cars to show off, many complete with facial recognition, flashy OLED touchscreens and futuristic pod-like designs - you'd be forgiven if you thought many of them didn't even look like cars.
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Major companies including BMW, Honda and Mercedes had concepts to show off at CES, many complete with facial recognition and OLED touchscreens. Pictured is Mercedes' concept car, which can be used for personal rides and delivery
Audi and Disney grabbed attendees' attention with their debut of a new 'Holoride' system that aims to bring virtual reality to every car, including Ford, Mercedes and other models.
Using an Oculus Rift headset, passengers can be transported into virtual reality environments inside a moving E-Tron crossover SUV.
Holoride, a new division from Audi, took the wraps off its first VR game for cars, called Marvel's Avengers: Rocket's Rescue Run.
In it, players are tasked with joining Iron Man and Rocket to defeat Thanos and his villainous sidekicks. .
Audi and Disney grabbed attendees' attention with their debut of a new 'Holoride' system that aims to bring virtual reality to every car, including Ford, Mercedes and other models. The system tailors content to the length of each user's ride
The companies say it'll give passengers something to do once the inevitable wave of self-driving cars takes over and they're sitting bored behind the wheel or in the backseat.
Games and movies made by Holoride will be tailored exactly to the length of your ride so that you can be on your way once you get to your destination.
'Due to the haptic feedback of the real drive, the virtual experience feels incredibly realistic and more intense than ever before,' said Nils Wollny, head of digital business and consumer strategy at Audi, in a statement.
Holoride noted that the VR experiences are also designed to match the movements of the car, so that there's a lower risk of riders getting motion sickness.
One of the most eye-catching concept vehicles came from Hyundai's Mobis division, which debuted its 'car of tomorrow' that could become a reality as soon as 2025. It's designed to be a luxury concept car for people to get around
The car features level five autonomy, as well as a gesture-based system where users point their fingers or wave their hands to move through different modes displayed on the windshield. There's a spacious area in the front with massive displays
One of the most eye-catching models came from Hyundai's Mobis division, which debuted its 'car of tomorrow' that could become a reality as soon as 2025.
The unnamed concept car features level five autonomy, as well as a gesture-based system where users point their fingers or wave their hands to move through different modes displayed on the windshield.
It includes emoji mode, driving mode and multimedia mode, Hyundai said in a demo with Dailymail.com.
In multimedia mode, users can watch videos on the windshield while the car transports them autonomously, or even activate immersive scenery that makes them feel like they're at the beach.
In multimedia mode (left), users can watch videos on the windshield while the car transports them, or even activate immersive scenery that makes them feel like they're at the beach. Emoji mode uses the car's facial recognition cameras and AI to study the passenger's face, determine their mood and turn on ambient lighting to match it (right)
Mercedes' EQ Silver Arrow concept car (pictured) was on view, which is designed to pay homage to the retro racing car, Mercedes' W125 Grand Prix racing car. The firm debuted a concept car, called the 'Vision iNext,' which features 'Shy Tech.'
Emoji mode uses the car's facial recognition cameras and AI to study the passenger's face, determine their mood and turn on ambient lighting to match it.
This also helps determine if drivers or passengers have become distracted, so as to prevent potential accidents.
If users aren't ready to surrender the car completely to robots, driving mode will activate a steering wheel, disable gesture controls and magically make the car's windows transparent so they can see out.
Elsewhere, Mercedes-Benz debuted a futuristic 'Vision Urbanetic' concept vehicle that's both a delivery van and a shared taxi for ferrying people around town.
As a taxi, the seats are arranged like a circle, including a bench in the back that's two levels to encourage a communal atmosphere.
The Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic is on display at the Mercedes-Benz booth at CES International, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic is on display at the Mercedes-Benz booth at CES. The seats are arranged like a circle, including a bench in the back that's two levels to encourage a communal atmosphere. Mercedes-Benz unveils the Vision URBANETIC concept vehicle
Above riders' heads is a circular LED display, which Mercedes calls the 'halo display,' that can show things like points of interest and how far away they are from their destination
Above riders' heads is a circular LED display, which Mercedes calls the 'halo display,' that can show things like points of interest and how far away they are from their destination.
Sweeping windows surround passengers on the inside, while the windshield can display safety messages, like telling pedestrians it's safe for them to cross.
The all-electric, fully autonomous car has 353 cubic feet of space and can ferry up to 12 people per ride, the firm said.
Mercedes hasn't determined a target launch date for the vehicle, but said it expects it to be operational 'sooner rather than later.'
Honda debuted its autonomous work vehicle at CES, which is an all-terrain vehicle that can handle a range of environments, including dangerous ones like wildland firefighting
The BMW Vision iNEXT concept car is shown during the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles. Inside, it features something BMW calls 'Shy Tech.' These control interfaces are integrated into the interior materials and only appear when your hand touches a specific point
Byton kicked off CES 2019 by revealing the souped up interior of its M-Byte vehicle.Not only does the mid-sized vehicle come with a 49-inch display across the dashboard, and a touchscreen at the center of the steering wheel, but it now boasts an touchscreen between the driver's and passenger's seats
'The concept...presents what might be possible in the future,' Thomas Rosenthal, product communications for future transportation at Daimler parent company Mercedes.
'It shows how ride-sharing might work, so if you want to drive from point A to point B, you have your app.
'You can call one of those cars and it arrives at your place and drives you somewhere,' he added.
Mercedes' stunning EQ Silver Arrow concept car was also on view, which is designed to pay homage to the iconic retro racing car, Mercedes' W125 Grand Prix racing car.
BMW showed off its own electric concept car, called the 'Vision iNext,' which features what it calls 'Shy Tech.'
User controls are built into the car's interior materials, only appearing when a user's hand touches a certain area of the seat.
Hyundai showed off the Elevate walking car concept. The vehicle features robotic legs that can climb over debris and obstacles to reach people in an emergency or aftermath of a disaster
- Elevate is a concept car with four wheels on robotic legs which are folded up in when in 'drive' mode
- Hyundai says it will be able to 'go where no vehicle has been before' thanks to its unique walking gaits
- When it comes to difficult terrain, the legs unfold, allowing the vehicle to walk and even climb stairs
While many cars claim to be the ultimate off roader, Hyundai had revealed a radical new take - a car with legs that can simply walk over terrain it struggles to drive over.
The firm revealed its Elevate concept at CES in Las Vegas, showing off vehicles aimed at first responders as well as New York yellow taxis.
The design, which resembles the All Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT) walkers found in the Star Wars universe, combines a traditional wheel with a leg the unfolds for dangerous terrain.
It can even climb stairs to pick up passengers in a wheelchair, allowing them to simply roll in.
Hyundai has even revealed a New York taxi concept that can climb stairs to pick up passengers in a wheelchair, allowing them to simply roll in
The Hyundai Elevate will be able to scale walls, climb stairs and reached trapped casualties in disaster zones, its designers claim
Hyundai says first responders are likely to be the first customers for the vehicle.
'When a tsunami or earthquake hits, current rescue vehicles can only deliver first responders to the edge of the debris field,' said John Suh of the firm.
'They have to go the rest of the way by foot.
'Elevate can drive to the scene and climb right over flood debris or crumbled concrete,' said John Suh, Vice President and Head of Hyundai CRADLE.
'This technology goes well beyond emergency situations.
The firm revealed its Elevate concept at CES in Las Vegas, showing off vehicles aimed at first responders and even a taxi for wheelchair-bound passengers.People living with disabilities worldwide that don't have access to an ADA ramp could hail an autonomous Hyundai Elevate that could walk up to their front door, level itself, and allow their wheelchair to roll right in.
'The possibilities are limitless.'
Elevate is the first Ultimate Mobility Vehicle (UMV), blending technology found in electric cars and robots, which allows it to traverse terrain beyond the limitations of even the most capable off-road vehicle, Hyundai says.
The Elevate concept is based on a modular EV platform with the capability to switch out different bodies for specific situations.
The robotic leg architecture has five degrees of freedom plus wheel hub propulsion motors and is enabled by the latest in electric actuator technology.
This design is uniquely capable of both mammalian and reptilian walking gaits, allowing it to move in any direction.
The Elevate concept is based on a modular EV platform with the capability to switch out different bodies for specific situations
If it slides off the road in dangerous condition, the car can simply walk back to the road before resuming its drive mode
The legs also fold up into a stowed drive-mode, where power to the joints is cut, and the use of an integrated passive suspension system maximizes battery efficiency.
This allows Elevate to drive at highway speeds just like any other vehicle.
But no other can climb a five foot wall, step over a five foot gap, walk over diverse terrain, and achieve a 15 foot wide track width, all while keeping its body and passengers completely level.
Further, the combination of wheeled motion with articulating legs provides a new paradigm of mobility by enabling faster walking speeds, unique dynamic driving postures and torsional control at the end of each leg.
'By combining the power of robotics with Hyundai's latest EV technology, Elevate has the ability to take people where no car has been before, and redefine our perception of vehicular freedom,' said David Byron, design manager, Sundberg-Ferar.
'Imagine a car stranded in a snow ditch just 10 feet off the highway being able to walk or climb over the treacherous terrain, back to the road potentially saving its injured passengers – this is the future of vehicular mobility.'
HOW THE WALKING CAR WORKS
The Korean vehicle has four driven wheels attached to robotic legs. The closest thing we can compare it to is an AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport) Walker from the Star Wars franchise
The Elevate concept is based on a modular EV platform with the capability to switch out different bodies for specific situations.
The robotic leg architecture has five degrees of freedom plus wheel hub propulsion motors and is enabled by the latest in electric actuator technology.
This design is uniquely capable of both mammalian and reptilian walking gaits, allowing it to move in any direction.
The legs also fold up into a stowed drive-mode, where power to the joints is cut, and the use of an integrated passive suspension system maximizes battery efficiency.
This allows Elevate to drive at highway speeds just like any other vehicle.
But no other can climb a five foot wall, step over a five foot gap, walk over diverse terrain, and achieve a 15 foot wide track width, all while keeping its body and passengers completely level.
Further, the combination of wheeled motion with articulating legs provides a new paradigm of mobility by enabling faster walking speeds, unique dynamic driving postures and torsional control at the end of each leg.
Audi's Holoride took the wraps off its first VR game for cars, called Marvel's Avengers: Rocket's Rescue Run. In it, players are tasked with joining Iron Man and Rocket to defeat Thanos
The company has also built an 'intelligent personal assistant' that can respond to the passenger's needs.
For example, if the passenger says 'Hey BMW, I'm cold,' it will automatically adjust the temperature inside the vehicle.
Other handy features allow the passenger to check oil levels by saying 'Is the oil level OK?' or turn on a radio station suited to their mood by saying 'I want to relax.'
Additionally, Bosch debuted a driverless electric concept shuttle that can transport up to four people at once and displays infotainment content on the windows, like movies and games.
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