by car or for production the car launches itself into the metaverse
At CES 2023, the Las Vegas tech show, manufacturers and hardware makers showed how they are experimenting with the metaverse to drive or manufacture the cars of tomorrow.
Allowing the driver to immerse himself in a movie, selling a car in a virtual dealership, simulating the installation of a new part in an engine: several manufacturers and equipment suppliers demonstrated how they are dealing with the metaverse at CES 2023, the Las Vegas technology show. With or without a virtual reality headset, the metaverse invites you to immerse yourself in a new universe.
The French equipment manufacturer Valeo has thus developed a system that allows the driver or passenger to interact with the environment while sitting in front of a TV screen at home. machine that sees hands.
Project leader Ghaya Khemiri explains that sensors mounted outside the car could allow pedestrians or scenery to blend in with virtual reality. If the sensors detect that you are stressed, the system can suggest a relaxation session with soothing images and sounds.
At Valeo, “we are working a lot on the electric car and the autonomous car, we have sensors,” Ghaya Khemiri explains. “We thought about what we could offer for the enjoyment of users.”
The system, still in prototype form, would initially be intended for passengers or drivers during a break, such as charging an electric car. It can then be used by the driver in fully autonomous cars.
film on the windshield
Holoride, an Audi-backed startup, is already selling virtual reality headsets for backseat passengers. The system is designed so that they can watch movies or play video games without getting sick of the controller, the content is synchronized with the movements of the car. The company presented a new version that can be used in all cars at the CES exhibition.
German manufacturer BMW unveiled a prototype in Las Vegas on Wednesday that should inspire the brand’s next cars, combining the “real and virtual worlds”.
The group specifically mentioned the ability to project augmented reality images such as speed or direction onto the windshield, or even turn the entire windshield into a screen to watch a movie.
“We’ll have to wait a few more years before we see the emergence of a fully immersive and interconnected metaverse, but mobility players can already derive real commercial value from purpose-built technologies,” says McKinsey, published the day before CES. A report on the metaverse in the automotive sector, which will be carried out by January 8.
To sell cars, Fiat launched what the group calls a “dealership in the metaverse” in Italy in December, where customers can search for, configure and even buy a car online with the help of a real-time assistant.
Remote repair
If technologies improve, including haptic devices that simulate the sense of touch, consumers can “examine a very realistic replica of a vehicle—by opening its doors, touching its seats, speeding down the highway—just like in a real car. McKinsey says.
A technician who encounters a broken car can help the customer make simple repairs remotely. Metaverse can also support the design of new products or make it easier to test a feature in different environments.
Alexandre Corjon, head of innovation at French hardware maker Plastic Omnium, came to CES specifically to explore the different uses the company could make of the technology.
Through Metaverse, he can, for example, show a customer how the recycled material will look in a certain form, so the designer can be aware of the impact the car will have, he says. Or demonstrate the best performance of innovation.
The group also plans to experiment in the metaverse against management committees, which are sometimes difficult to assemble due to the group’s global operations, thus avoiding trips.
