On the eve of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on Lake Como in Italy, MINI unveiled its Superleggera Vision, the first formal collaboration between the brand that loves…
Continue Reading…
From a sneak peek prior to the official launch at the 2013 Geneva Auto Show to its first drive in Beijing, the Bentley’s all-new ,…
Continue Reading…
Advertorial content: Creatives, makers and independents all share the same basic desire: the freedom of choice. However, with the mounting pressures of a growing global marketplace, there is an increasing need for designers and artists not only to produce compelling…
Continue Reading…
German car manufacturer BMW has unveiled Vision Future Luxury, a saloon concept car featuring augmented display technology (+ slideshow).
The Vision Future Luxury concept comprises the latest iteration of BMW‘s Vision Head Up Display, which augments the driver’s view of the world by projecting real-time information including speed limits and road signs onto the windscreen directly in the line of sight.
Sensors located on the exterior of the car collect environmental data, which is deciphered and transferred to a light source located inside the instrument panel. Light shining through a translucent thin-film transistor (TFT) projects the relevant data on to the windscreen via specially shaped mirrors and allows the driver to view information without having to look away from the road.
“Innovative technology and modern luxury have always been an important part of BMW’s brand DNA,” explained Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President of BMW Group Design at a preview of Vision Future Luxury in Munich. “Connectivity in a luxury vehicle has to be seamless and so well integrated that it doesn’t deter from the driving that you want to do, it actually enhances it.”
The rear lighting is provided by organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) for the first time on a BMW, an efficient light source consisting of wafer-thin semi-conductive layers of organic material that can be cut into any shape to allow for a variety of patterned lighting designs.
The luminescent layer is a film of carbon compound, which emits light in response to an electrical current. Each light-emitting polymer layer is roughly 400 nanometres thick, which is approximately 400 times thinner than a human hair.
Car designers have previously relied on reflectors to enable the light produced by LEDs to be seen from different angles, but OLEDs do not need reflectors, allowing designers to create less bulky and more unusual shapes. OLEDs also require less power to operate.
The roofline and sloping boot lid on the car have been designed to reduce drag, while carbon fibre openings positioned at the front and rear of the car help to channel airflow more efficiently.
“Aerodynamics and lightweight materials are key elements of this car’s design,” explained Karim Habib, head of BMW design. “Visible carbon fibre on the exterior of a luxury car is something we believe BMW needs to do.”
Carbon fibre, as a lightweight and strong composite, also allows for a minimised central B-pillar – the join between the front passenger and rear passenger doors. This allows the doors to use different hinge points to a standard car door.
The doors open to reveal a layered interior with wood, leather and aluminium finishings on top of a carbon fibre base.
“Lightweight construction is not going to go away,” says Adrian van Hooydonk. “All of our cars will have to get lighter and that means as a design team we are dealing with different types of materials, which can lead to different types of aesthetic.”
Front passengers are equipped with a personal information display, which is connected to the driver display via a touch-sensitive panel. Rear passengers also have access to two displays mounted in the headrests of the seats in front and a detachable tablet between the individual seats. All three can be used to exchange information with the front passengers using swiping movements.
Embedded user interface components from which internet-based video and music streaming can be accessed also feature.
Read on for BMW’s press release:
Heralding a new approach – the design.
“The design of the BMW Vision Future Luxury is the messenger of our philosophy of modern luxury, one in which innovative technologies play a key and vital role. These innovations deliver a new, multifaceted luxury experience that spans intelligent lightweight engineering, innovative interior design and a radically new user interface design,” says Karim Habib, Head of BMW Design, summing up the design approach to the BMW Vision Future Luxury.
This approach is particularly tangible in the interior. Throughout, the design expresses both form and function of the innovative technologies. For example, the intelligent lightweight engineering concept of the BMW Vision Future Luxury is expressed in the design principle of subtractive modelling. That is to say, the specific geometry and functions of an individual component are created from one and the same layered composite structure, comprising many different levels and materials. An initial base layer of fine carbon fabric is followed by a functional level featuring user interface components, control and display interfaces and lighting functions, which in turn is followed by a further structural, load-bearing layer of aluminium for additional strength.
Finally, the top layers comprise wood, then leather, to create a warm and comfortable ambience. In a given area of the interior, the multi-layer structure is “milled down” to the appropriate depth depending on what surface material and what function is required. Since the interior geometry is therefore always pared down to essentials, this cuts total weight substantially. This treatment also makes for virtually seamless transitions and very elegant, fluid surfaces.
The unrivalled characteristics of carbon as a material – both individually and in combination with its surrounding materials – are optimally utilised in this rigorous lightweight design concept. The carbon underlying layer is visible in the doors, under the seats and especially in the innovative, pared-down B-pillar. A full B- pillar as used in the past is dispensed with. The carbon construction allows the seat frames to be integrated into the load-bearing structure. There are also connections to the door sills and centre console, which means only a very small and unobtrusive B-pillar is required. The BMW Vision Future Luxury’s wide- opening coach doors would not have been possible without this new carbon B- pillar solution.
New-style user interface design and exclusive
BMW ConnectedDrive services.
In the driver’s and front passenger’s area, precisely defined lines and surfaces create a sense of exclusive dynamism. The design of the instrument panel closely complements the design of the displays themselves. The driver is surrounded by a wrap-around cluster of three intermeshing displays, creating the typical BMW driver-centric cockpit. The three-dimensional display technology means that at the visual level the instrument panel styling appears to carry over into the displays themselves. In other words, to the eye the interior space seems to continue into the solid structures of the instrument panel, generating an impression of unprecedented depth and spaciousness.
The left-hand display mainly presents vehicle-related information, while in the centre a programmable cluster displays speedometer, rev counter and other information, as well as context-adaptive supplementary data, which is displayed as and when relevant. Meanwhile, the right-hand display – the Driver Information Display – provides additional infotainment information. The driver also has the option of controlling all these functions by voice command.
BMW Vision Head Up Display.
The primary driver display, however, is the “contact-analogue” BMW Vision Head Up Display. This display augments the driver’s view of the real world by projecting information directly in the driver’s line of sight onto the road. Buildings, traffic signs or hazards can be highlighted directly in the real-world environment, selectively directing the driver’s attention to specific information which is particularly important at any given time. This technology gives a new dimension to driver assistance functions such as Speed Limit Info, where road signs can be identified and highlighted in the driver’s field of view, or the Traffic Light Assistant, which provides real-time information about traffic light phasing.
In place of a central shared information display for driver and front passenger, the BMW Vision Future Luxury offers front passengers their own Passenger Information Display. This display is connected to the Driver Information Display via a touch-sensitive panel, where information can be exchanged between driver and front passenger using swiping movements. Applications like booking opera tickets online direct from the vehicle via the BMW ConnectedDrive Luxury Concierge service can be displayed in the Passenger Information Display, where they don’t risk distracting the driver. The relevant functions can be conveniently controlled by the front passenger using the iDrive Controller with touch-sensitive interface.
Rear Seat Touch Command Tablet.
In the back, two Rear Seat Displays set into carbon surrounds, and a detachable Rear Seat Touch Command Tablet, put the finishing touch to the integrated user interface concept of the BMW Vision Future Luxury. These displays can communicate with the front displays and also with the BMW ConnectedDrive services. Everything from trip-related information like speed and journey time to information relating to the Luxury Concierge Services can be displayed here in simple and customised form.
It is also possible to use online entertainment content like internet-based video and music streaming as well as gaming. All content and functions can be controlled from the rear seats using the detachable Rear Seat Touch Command Tablet in the centre console.
Personal space at the rear.
For the occupants of the rear seats, the BMW Vision Future Luxury offers a luxurious haven of personal space. Two large, deeply contoured single seats add to the appeal, inviting passengers to retire into their own personal “comfort zone”. A retractable table, the angled Rear Seat Displays and the rigid backs of the front seats create a very private ambience, sectioning this area off from the rest of the interior. The sense of privacy is accentuated by modern, flowing geometry and the use of select materials, with lavish wood surfaces extending from the rear parcel shelf to enfold the rear seat occupants in a cosseting three- dimensional space.
Strategically placed lighting slats integrated into the wood echo the surrounding styling and, with their warm glow, accentuate the modern and cosy ambience. Finest-quality aniline leather in Batavia brown and a lighter Silk shade, Silk nubuk leather and the warm brown, layered lime wood all have a natural aura which offers unique visual appeal and quality. The division between darker materials in the upper areas and light materials in the lower areas creates a feeling of warmth and a luxurious sense of space. A deep-pile pure silk carpet rounds off the exclusive array of materials in the interior of the BMW Vision Future Luxury.
Exclusiveness and elegance – the exterior design.
In side view, perfect proportions – precise, uncluttered and elegant – convey the exclusiveness of the BMW Vision Future Luxury. The long wheelbase, short overhangs and low, set-back greenhouse lend the stretched silhouette a refined dynamism. In hallmark BMW style, a finely sculpted contour line creates a taut arc along the side of the vehicle, and the opulent surfaces underneath this line have, as always on a BMW, been shaped by seasoned modellers. This hand- sculpted design gives the surfaces a special emotional appeal that would be beyond the capabilities of a computer.
The effect is further enhanced by the Liquid Platinum Bronze exterior paintwork, which generates a warm, shimmering effect. An exclusive flourish at the side of the vehicle is the side mirror, which appears to grow organically out of the chrome window trim. Designed as a visual continuation of the chrome trim, its slender stalk is attached to the mirror from below, giving it a graceful and effortless appearance, almost as if it were hovering in mid-air.
BMW EfficientDynamics: honed aerodynamics and intelligent lightweight engineering.
The exterior design perfectly showcases the advanced aerodynamics and innovative lightweight engineering of the BMW Vision Future Luxury. The coupé- style roofline and sloping boot lid, for example, significantly reduce drag. Underlying the tautly sculpted exterior surfaces, equally refined solutions provide optimal channelling of the airflow. They include the Air Breather system at the rear of the front wheel arch, a C-pillar with internal air channelling, and openings in the rear apron which vent air from the wheel arches. An elegant carbon strip in the door sill area alludes discreetly to the innovative lightweight engineering concept based on aluminium and carbon. Both these lightweight materials are used in the vehicle in exactly the right places to achieve maximum effect – both individually and in tandem.
BMW Laserlight at the front.
Clean and simple in design, the traditional iconic BMW front-end design cues – the twin kidney grille and twin headlights – instantly proclaim the brand identity of the BMW Vision Future Luxury. The lean contours of the headlights also hint at the innovative technology sheltering behind them: BMW Laserlight. This new technology not only paves the way for a very flat and dynamic interpretation of the typical BMW twin round headlamps, it also sets completely new standards in terms of brightness, range and intensity. The concentrated, parallel light beam is up to ten times more intense than that of an LED system. The reduced energy consumption and packaging requirements of laser lights make this technology a prime candidate for use in future vehicles.
Underneath the headlights, the assertive multi-material front apron accentuates the elegant front-end styling. At the outboard ends of the apron, graceful carbon air deflectors conceal a range of BMW EfficientDynamics aerodynamics features. The thin-walled air deflectors are made of carbon, a further reminder of the intelligent lightweight engineering concept of the BMW Vision Future Luxury. A slender chrome strip on the air deflectors highlights the airflow system.
OLED lighting at the rear.
The horizontal lines of the side profile glide gently away at the rear in a final expansive flourish. As at the front, the body styling in this area is deliberately understated, allowing the innovative, narrow and slender lights to make a powerful statement. For the first time on a BMW the rear lighting is provided by organic LEDs, paving the way for a completely new treatment of the typical BMW L-shaped lights. The BMW Vision Future Luxury’s L-shaped rear lights comprise a large number of small, likewise L-shaped OLEDs.
An organic LED consists of wafer-thin organic semiconductor layers positioned between two electrodes. The light-emitting polymer layer is only approx. 400 nanometres thick, making it roughly 400 times thinner than a human hair. Organic LEDs are not only extremely thin, as well as flexible, they also produce very uniform illumination over their entire surface. Due to their very thin dimensions, and since they do not require reflectors in order to produce the desired broad light dispersion, they open up completely new ways of using light in and around the vehicle.
The post BMW unveils Vision Future Luxury
car with augmented reality display appeared first on Dezeen.
There’s no denying that the past 12 months have seen Volvo shake its former stereotype as a reflection of Sweden itself (safe, reliable, unremarkable perhaps) and replace it with a whole new appearance; one that now reflects…
Continue Reading…
News: internet-connected cars will soon be harvesting data on the weather, road conditions and traffic flow and selling it to the grid, according to panelists at the Internet of Cars session at the SXSW festival.
The data could then be used by meteorologists and highways agencies to help them improve their services, with drivers receiving a small payment.
Other innovations in the near future will include heads-up displays on windshields that allow you drive through thick fog, and music systems that automatically pick tracks to match your driving.
“The cars we drive nowadays are giant sensors on wheels, generating tons of data,” said Scott Lange, executive creative director at Team Detroit, an agency that works closely with Ford. “Each car generates 25Mb of data per hour.”
By aggregating data from sensors in cars’ suspension systems, for example, highways agencies would know which stretches of road needed repairing, Lange said. “You could create really accurate data of where all the potholes are.”
Information on when drivers had switched their windscreen wipers on and off could be used to track the weather, he added. “That data suddenly becomes very important to meteorologists.”
Automotive makers are working to develop an industry-standard software platform that could be made public so that developers can explore ways of utilising the data, much like they develop apps for mobile phones.
“It’s not about creating a proprietary Ford-owned system,” said Sefi Grossman, vice president of technology enablement at Team Detroit. “It’s about opening it up. We’re trying to create a unified API.”
This would also allow manufacturers to push software updates to cars via the internet, rather than waiting for the car to book in for a service.
The panel, convened to discuss the implications of having cars connected to the internet, took place in Austin, Texas last week as part of the SXSW Interactive festival.
Lange described cars as “the biggest and greatest wearable [device] that you have. It’s an exoskeleton that gives you superhuman powers.”
Dave Knox, CEO of digital strategy company Rockfish, said that cars could link drivers to their homes and interface with wireless control systems such as Nest. “The car would remind you that you left your front door open at home,” he said.
Lange added: “You could get an icon on your phone saying you need to leave work early to buy gas, and suggesting where you could buy it.”
Heidi Browning, senior vice president of strategic solutions at internet radio technology company Pandora Media, added that in-car music streaming services would soon be able to match tracks to your driving style. “You could control your music by your speed,” she said. “Hard Rock when you’re speeding, Country when you’re slowing down.”
The panel predicted that car use would move to a subscription model, with car companies providing drivers with different vehicles for different purposes, based on a unique digital profile of their driving habits captured by sensors in cars. “You will get different data sets for different drivers in the same car,” said Lange.
The panel agreed that the issue of who owned the data was a sensitive one, with Grossman saying the information was “valuable and there may be some payback for drivers [who give up their data]”.
He added: “Hypothetically, users could give up certain data streams and in return get different vehicles for different times of the week.”
The post Internet-connected cars will give
drivers “superhuman powers” appeared first on Dezeen.
by Davis Adams Subaru recently invited CH to Key West for a lesson in the brand’s values, as well as an introduction to their very first green car: the …
Continue Reading…
Automakers have always pushed to keep in step with advancements in consumer technology, from the first car radios to the integration of touchscreen navigation and infotainment systems. At the same time, in-car technology is notorious for not being upgradable—as the devices we use…
Continue Reading…
Apple has teamed up with Ferrari, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz to develop software for cars allowing iPhones to be connected up and controlled via a second screen in the entertainment system.
Using Apple‘s CarPlay software, drivers will be able to use Apple Maps as in-car navigation, as well as listen to music and watch films. Additionally, calls can be made through CarPlay, which will be controlled by the Siri voice recognition platform. It’s the first time Apple has developed software explicitly for use in cars.
The system was unveiled at this week’s Geneva Motor Show, held annually in the Swiss capital.
When users connect their iPhone 5, 5c, or 5s via a USB cable, apps found on the phone appear on the vehicle’s inbuilt screens. The phone can then be controlled through the car’s controls instead of the phone’s. Apple believe it will make cars smarter and safer to drive.
“CarPlay has been designed from the ground up to provide drivers with an incredible experience using their iPhone in the car,” said Greg Joswiak, vice president of iPhone and iOS product marketing at Apple.
CarPlay accesses recent destinations looked up on your iPhone, as well as those mentioned in emails and text messages. From there, it can anticipate where you’d like to go, and then provide turn-by-turn directions, live traffic information and estimated time of arrival.
“iPhone users always want their content at their fingertips and CarPlay lets drivers use their iPhone in the car with minimised distraction,” continued Joswiak.
With its messaging service, texts will be read out via Siri, allowing the driver to reply using voice commands.
Car buyers are expected to be able to purchase vehicles equipped with Apple’s software later this year. The system will be compatible with new cars from Mercedes, Volvo and Ferrari. Honda, Hyundai and Jaguar are expected to add CarPlay-enabled cars to their ranges.
The move means developers will be able to build apps specifically for use in cars. A select number of third-party apps including Spotify, iHeartRadio and Beats Radio will be made available for the product’s launch.
The announcement by Apple brings them into direct competition with Google in the race to become the industry standard for in-car software systems. The search engine giant launched its own purpose-built Android-based car system initiative earlier this year called the Open Automotive Alliance (OAA).
Working alongside Audi, General Motors, Honda and Hyundai the OAA aims to enable developers to easily add car-specific modes to their apps.
Microsoft is also working on a similar system in partnership with Ford, making cars the latest battleground for IT giants looking to gain a foothold in a lucrative new market.
The post Apple unveils software for cars with Ferrari,
Volvo and Mercedes-Benz appeared first on Dezeen.
Last fall, Nissan introduced future mobility concepts developed by the company’s advances planning team. Among them was the Pedestrian on Wheels, a three-passenger sustainable vehicle designed to work in a fully planned new city (such as…
Continue Reading…
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
