BMW HoloActive Touch, the interface of the future for interacting with your vehicle

Much of the technology that is presented to us today for the automotive world may seem truly futuristic, but what BMW will bring to the new edition of CES, which will take place in early January, may not be as far away as we think despite its characteristics. The Consumer Technology Association is no longer just an event where pioneering technology companies attend, but also a showcase for what vehicle manufacturers have in store for us.

What BMW proposes is a system for interacting with our vehicle in a way different from what we know today. To put it simply, it is an interface that uses holograms as a screen, something we have seen many times in science fiction films that is now closer to becoming a reality. Its name is HoloActive Touch, and its operation and interaction with the user is much easier than it may seem at first.

If we now have an instrument panel and controls with which to control or view the various elements and options of our car, with BMW HoloActive Touch we will find a minimalist, clear dashboard. In its place we will have an image projected in the style of a tablet to one side of the steering wheel, and through the gestures we make with our fingers we will be able to access the various available options.

The images will be full colour and, to give us an idea, with a display that, besides being totally intuitive, will resemble the Head-Up Display we have today. It works thanks to a camera that detects our movements and, once we touch the virtual surface, a pulse is emitted that activates the function we have selected. We could say it is an improved and interactive Head-Up Display.

Nevertheless, this gesture-control technology is not new for BMW, because the new 5 Series and 7 Series already include this technology among their options, which BMW presented at CES 2015. For the moment the HoloActive Touch system is in the study phase, but it is not far-fetched to say that in the near future it will be available across the BMW i range.

Source | BMW