Audi unveiled its AI:ME concept car at CES 2020, designed as a ‘third living space’ in addition to the home and the workplace which fuses AI and AR to create a smart driving/travel experience.
Passengers can use eye tracking technology to communicate with the car, allowing for the ordering of food which will arrive at the user’s destination when the user arrives.
A ‘wellness experience’ is also incorporated into the AI:ME, which allows passengers to use a VR headset within the vehicle to allow occupants to experience a virtual ‘flight’ across a mountain landscape, with the technology adapting virtual content to the movement of the vehicle in real time.
The car identifies the user and their habits, using functions combined with artificial intelligence to influence passenger safety, wellbeing and comfort, with the self-learning navigation system being integrated into the current generation of Audi multimedia interface systems (MMI).
Preferred destinations can be saved, connecting with date, time and current traffic situations to highlight suggested routes from the collected data.
Further developments to the car’s AI repertoire will include an analysis of the functions and settings that the user prefers, including seat position, media, route guidance and temperature in addition to the fragrance preference of the interior.
The ‘empathetic Audi’ prototype can also allow the vehicle to base its settings on the user’s condition by observing their driving style and vital functions.
A navigation arrow that points into the side road where the destination is located was also demonstrated with Audi’s 3D mixed reality heads-up display (HUD), with the technology developed in partnership with Samsung at CES 2020.
Two views are generated of each picture, with one pixel for the left eye and the neighbouring pixel for the right eye. The display appears to float at a distance of approximately eight to 10 metres, with the apparent distance able to be increased to over 70 metres.
A transparent display was also highlighted, with a 15cm high, 122cm wide screen that is partially embedded into the instrument panel that features two layers comprised of a transparent OLED display and a black layer.
Sections of the display that are not required for the display of information remain transparent, giving the impression of a glass pane to allow users to have an unobstructed view of the road.