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Carmakers to make driving into digital adventure
2019-06-17 
Visitors try out virtual reality content inside Japanese carmaker Nissan's smart cabin at the CES Asia show held last week in Shanghai.[Photo by Li Fusheng/China Daily]

Audi, Nissan and other brands show entertainment options at technology gala

Cars traditionally have been a mode of transportation but that will soon change, as automakers and technology companies are working to create more enjoyable onboard experiences.

German carmaker Audi showcased its immersive entertainment system at the CES Asia held from June 11 to 13 in Shanghai.

The system can turn a parked car into a 4D theater with all the vibration and sound effects, making passengers want to stay inside the car even after they reach their destination.

Mercedes-Benz, another German brand, demonstrated a system to offer the driver a gaming experience in a stationary vehicle.

The driver can use the steering wheel, the accelerator and the brake pedal as a console while the air conditioner and ambient lighting inside the car coordinates with the game features.

Audi's subsidiary, Holoride, demonstrated how to bring a virtual reality experience to the backseat of every car, linking the motions of the vehicle with virtual reality content in real time.

For example, when the car starts, passengers become captains of the spaceship they command or the submarine they sit in.

The core innovative idea is to grasp the car as a moving data collector and to translate all data into events of the story in virtual reality glasses.

Holoride said every genre of content can be created, from gaming to entertainment to educational material. The new technology has the potential to change backseat entertainment forever.

"Premium mobility of the future will transform the car into your own personalized living space," said Thomas Owsianski, Audi's president of China operations.

"It can support you as a virtual assistant, connect you with friends and family, entertain you, or provide you with a sanctuary moment of relaxation on a busy day."

Great Wall Motors shows its futuristic cabin at the CES Asia show in Shanghai. [Photo by Li Fusheng/China Daily]

Owsianski said as cars become more autonomous, people will have extra time and Audi will make more effort to turn a ride into a digital adventure.

Japanese carmaker Nissan is working on creating a virtual world for passengers in fully autonomous vehicles.

At the CES Asia, it showcased a program called Invisible-to-Visible. Via virtual reality goggles, it can introduce cartoon figures or movie stars to sit and chat with passengers.

The program is designed to offer drivers virtual companions, which the carmaker believes will be crucial in the future because people will get bored when they do not have to drive.

But Nissan does not plan to persuade people to relinquish control of the vehicle to the computer.

The carmaker demonstrated its Brain-to-Vehicle technology, enabling vehicles to interpret signals from the driver's brain to make the drive more exciting and enjoyable.

This breakthrough from Nissan is the result of research into using brain-decoding technology to predict a driver's actions and detect discomfort.

Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors showcased a series of forward-looking technologies including its smart cabin.

The cabin for autonomous vehicles features different functions ranging from facial recognition to heart rate monitoring and gesture control.

The company showcased a concept vehicle called Vision 2025 as well, an example of the Chinese carmaker's vision of future mobility.

Chinese startup Enovate showed a smart cloud system at the show, which would integrate intelligent driving, digital cabin as well as cloud-based services to offer comprehensive solutions for customers in the digitalized era.

Based on its intelligent architecture, the system can make the most of big data applications, cloud computing and over-the-air updates to meet customers' growing demands.

Niu Shengfu, chief technology officer at Enovate, said the system can help build a smart transport network composed of vehicles, people and infrastructure.

German technology company Continental displayed its driverless vehicle platform called the CUbE at the show.

It needs no driver and has no steering wheel or brake pedal.

Depending on the vehicle-to-everything technology, CUbE can communicate and exchange data with other road users and infrastructure.

Continental said it firmly believes driverless vehicles will play an important role in urban transportation, which will effectively relieving urban traffic pressure and make urban mobility more convenient.

Chinese mapping data service provider NavInfo inked a deal with supplier Desay SV during the show to offer Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving solutions.

NavInfo is one of the best mapping service companies in China. It was chosen by BMW earlier this year to offer mapping and relevant services for its models in China from 2021 to 2024.

Connectivity has been rated as a priority when people purchase new cars in China, according to a recent Deloitte report.

Nearly 80 percent of respondents said they value vehicle connectivity, dwarfing Japan's 36 percent and Australia's 44 percent.

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