Like many automakers, BMW believes the coming age of automotive autonomy is about to change the way vehicle interiors are crafted. The German brand?s vision for the future of automotive interior design is showcased in the i Inside Future concept being displayed this week at CES (formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas.
The concept?s most notable feature is its HoloActive Touch display, a system that generates free-floating holographic center-console controls using the same basic technology found in BMW?s head-up displays. HoloActive Touch is different in that it also incorporates a camera and ultrasonic waves: the former detects the holographic menu item being selected, while the latter produces a sort of haptic feedback to the user. More important, though, as BMW notes, HoloActive Touch?s menu structure changes in response to the selected drive mode. Autonomous mode, for example, restructures the system?s menus so that functions, such as those for the entertainment system, are more readily at hand. Other innovations within the i Inside Future concept include a rear-seat entertainment system with a large-format display screen that can serve as a light source when the video player isn?t in use. As in our long-term BMW 7-series, the system itself is controlled via the interior-design concept?s built-in tablet. Meanwhile, headrest-mounted speakers offer each passenger the ability to listen to his or her own individual music or audio programs wit...