Harman arrived at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in order to present a suite of solutions for both autonomous driving as well as for connectivity.
In order to “humanize”, as it says, the autonomous car, Harman has put together a series of modes that are meant to reinvent the in-vehicle user experience while also reflecting the consumer’s lifestyle.
Harman’s system will make its debut on the newest Rinspeed concept car, the Oasis – a concept that offers a glimpse at the future of autonomous driving and how a more “holistic” vehicle intelligence can transform the whole driving experience.
“More than a technology supplier, HARMAN is an inspiration partner to the world’s automakers, and the Oasis is a testament to that vision – a vehicle that is contextual, personalised and highly connected,” said Phil Eyler, president, Harman Connected Car. “Harman believes autonomy should not equal monotony, and this vehicle offers an integrated cockpit and bleeding edge user interface that advances mobility and connectivity while providing an unparalleled user experience. This results in a driving experience that is more powerful, productive, personalised and protected than ever before.”
Harman’s vision for autonomous driving includes systems such as the Full Windshield Heads-Up Display, Autonomous Drive Readiness Check, Augmented Reality Concierge, Predictive Collision Prevention and the Intelligent E-Mirrors.
The Windshield Heads-Up Display on the Oasis concept utilizes the entire windshield to project navigation prompts as well as other information on the driver, while at the same time projecting entertainment or information to the passenger. The Autonomous Drive Readiness Check (Handover to Manual) handles the transition between autonomous and manual mode by combining haptic feedback, eye gaze tracking and the driver’s cognitive load readiness through pupil monitoring.
The Augmented Reality concierge is all about increasing productivity in the car, which is where a voice-controlled virtual assistant comes in. Also, through Skype connectivity, the system can even translate telephone conversations in real time, regardless of the language spoken on the other end.
As for their connected car platform, Harman created a robust end-to-end system inside of their intelligent cockpit design. Technologies such as Augmented Reality Navigation (blending live-motion video with graphics) or Object Detection Suite (designed to alert drivers to all things on the road) are meant to save drivers time and improve their connected lifestyle user experience.
Other clever features would be the Intelligent Digital Personal Assistant (scheduling appointments etc), the Car-to-Home Automation (controlling the home’s lighting and temperature from the car), Cockpit Harmonization (center console & instrument cluster integration), Telematics Control Unit (for OTA software updates) and the Multi-Camera System Processing (360-degree camera integration).
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