Audi’s Fit Driver will monitor stress and fatigue
The new Audi A8 due in 2017 will be the first model equipped with Audi’s array of next generation autonomous features while at the Consumer Electronics Show Audi went into more detail about the upcoming Human Machine Interface.
What you need to know about HMI is that it will include gesture control (ala BMW 7 Series) but build on that functionality by recognising familiar gestures not necessarily pre-programmed into the car’s brain.
The interior overlaps sections of Audi’s e-tron Quattro concept and essentially expands the size of screens and adds a pseudo-haptic feel to some of the menu buttons. We reported on Bosch doing something similar with touchscreen technology and it has numerous safety advanatges.
Before Audi was done addressing the media, the German brand revealed that a bevy of connected car services like traffic sign recognition and hazard information that will be incorporated with car-to-car communication resulting in intelligent feedback.
Speaking at CES, Audi’s vice president for electronic development Ricky Hudi said: “The interior of the future will radically alter the way our customers operate and experience things in the vehicle. We are developing our successful Audi virtual cockpit into the Audi virtual dashboard and creating an entirely new world of experience for our customers. In the future, the entire system will get to know the customer and their habits and preferences, then proactively support them.”
While some of this is not necessarily unique to the automotive world of tomorrow, Audi’s Fit Driver Scheme allows users (wearing a fit band) to have stress and fatigue levels monitored by the car. A small step but one with big potential.
