At CES 2017, BMW unveiled its BMW i Inside Future
sculpture, which caters precisely to the individual requirements of a vehicle's
driver and passengers in all sorts of ways, while still providing sufficient
space to experience a journey together. The interior is conceived as a room
with separate zones allowing the passengers to spend the journey as they
please, fulfilling to-do lists and wish lists alike.
The various ideas for the vehicle interior of the
future include a pioneering way of controlling functions: BMW HoloActive Touch
takes the gesture control functionality that is already available today in the
BMW 7 Series and BMW 5 Series to a whole new level. The innovative interface
between driver and vehicle comprises a free-floating display next to the
steering wheel that can be operated directly with the finger, and an ultrasonic
source that provides tactile feedback for the driver's inputs - all without
actual contact being made with a user interface.
The BMW i Inside Future sculpture exhibited at CES
2017 offers a look ahead to the future of interior design. BMW's vision makes
allowance for the fact that a vehicle's interior is set to turn more and more
into a living space for comfortfocused, permanently connected users. The
interior of the future will function as a place of retreat, an office or a
recreational space for entertainment, as required. Intelligent connectivity is
expanding the spectrum of digital services available inside a vehicle, while
automated driving is reducing the driver's workload and providing the extra
freedom needed to take advantage of these services in their car.
With BMW i Inside Future, BMW is demonstrating how
these technologies can be taken a few steps further and supplemented by further
innovations to create the vision of an interior that has been purpose-designed
for fully automated driving and intelligent connectivity. The study emulates
the state-of-the-art, luxuriously appointed ambience of a premium car, in which
top material and build quality are traditionally combined with unobtrusive
technology that is there whenever it is needed.
The interior of the future has been designed so that
both the ambience and controls adapt to the current driving mode. In the
future, too, it will be the driver alone who makes the choice between active
and automated driving. The navigation system identifies those sections of the
route that are suitable for highly or fully automated driving, and the driver
is notified when the vehicle reaches such a stretch of road and can then
activate the switch to automated mode. The driver can also take over control of
the vehicle again at any time when driving in automated mode.
Another innovation being presented for the first
time in the BMW i Inside Future sculpture on show at CES 2017 is the
personalised audio programme. In the vehicle interior of the future, the driver
and passengers can each enjoy their own personal entertainment programme. To
this end, the audio signal is emitted solely through the personal BMW Sound
Curtain in each seat's head restraint; the acoustic signals can be heard only
by the occupant of that particular seat.
BMW i Inside Future also has a state-of-the-art
entertainment experience up its sleeve for the passengers in the rear. A large-format
widescreen display that folds down out of the headliner makes it possible to
watch content that is either being streamed using an online service or played
from a device connected to the vehicle. When the video screen is not in use, it
serves as an additional overhead light source for creating atmospheric ambient
lighting effects. The innovative new entertainment system for the rear
passengers can be controlled from a built-in tablet. Or occupants can choose to
link up a personal mobile device to the system via BMW Connected for the job at
hand.
