User experience becomes key for auto tech at CES

Rob Lever -

Technology firms tackling the challenge of autonomous driving are focusing on the “user experience” of vehicles that are increasingly becoming an extension of people’s digital life.
Carmakers and tech firms are refining the systems for self-driving navigation and safety. But with full autonomy still likely years away, there is a growing interest in making cars a place to live, work, communicate and enjoy the ride.
At the Consumer Electronics Show this week, exhibitors were showcasing technology for comfort, safety and personalization.
Byton, the China-based electric carmaker expected to launch its first vehicles late this year, showed its sedan with a 48-inch display panel, covering the width of the dash.
The Byton car will use facial recognition to customize the experience for drivers and passengers, with personalized music and recommendations. The car would know who is inside and how long they have been travelling.
“The car could become the most important device in your digital life,” said Carsten Breitfeld, co-founder and chief executive of Byton.
Byton will offer the potential for partial autonomy, allowing riders to focus on other things such as watching movies, shopping with a voice assistant or browsing the internet.
Gawain Morrison, co-founder of the British-based artificial intelligence startup Sensum, said the human factor is becoming more important in the automobile sector. “The next generation is about how to interact with the humans,” he said.
Sensum and its auto-supplier partner Valeo showed what it called “empathic mobility tech” which can measure occupants’ emotional state and physiological comfort, and adjust its environmental settings accordingly.
The South Korean automaker Kia dubbed its system ‘‘Real-time Emotion Adaptive Driving,” or READ with an emotional AI-based cabin which analyses a driver’s emotional state by monitoring facial expressions, heart rate and electrodermal activity.
“The system enables continuous communication between driver and vehicle through the unspoken language of ‘feeling’, thereby providing an optimal, human-sense oriented space for the driver in real-time,” said Albert Biermann, president and head of research for Kia parent Hyundai.
German auto equipment maker Continental was showing its monitoring system which can detect if a driver is distracted or drowsy, in line with recommendations from the European Union.
“You may get a visual warning, or the seat will vibrate, or the steering wheel will vibrate,” said Continental executive Heinz Abel. — AFP