1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:06,879 You guys might remember the video that BMW sponsored us to do last year at CES 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:15,240 with the mirrorless i8. That thing was freaking unreal. And well, they have 3 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:18,400 done it again. So behind me is the BMW i 4 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:22,240 inside future. This is like a kind of 5 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:24,000 radical reimagining of the role that the 6 00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:29,599 automobile is going to play in our lives in the near to mid future. So, 7 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:35,040 autonomous driving is upon us at this point. Here at the show, BMW is showing 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:38,399 off autonomous 5 series prototypes that 9 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:41,120 are using ultrasonic front radar, rear 10 00:00:38,399 --> 00:00:46,559 camera, front camera, and what BMW is calling an HD map to safely navigate to 11 00:00:44,399 --> 00:00:52,079 your destination. This is combined with a kind of fleet learning that I wouldn't 12 00:00:48,719 --> 00:00:56,559 have dared to dream of even 2 to 3 years 13 00:00:52,079 --> 00:01:00,480 ago. So BMW is not only using their own 14 00:00:56,559 --> 00:01:02,399 cars to recognize and modify changes to 15 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:07,680 the route, like say for example a construction zone, but they're actually 16 00:01:05,199 --> 00:01:11,680 actively working with other OEMs to ensure that everyone is using the most 17 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:15,840 up-to-date information. So that means even little details like how long you 18 00:01:14,320 --> 00:01:21,520 can expect to sit at a red light, you get a freaking countdown timer, can be 19 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:23,680 accurately predicted in this way. And 20 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:29,520 there are additional layers of intuitive convenience that can be refined as we 21 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:32,000 move into the future. So Siri and Alexa 22 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:37,759 have been joined by prototype Cortana integration through the open mobility 23 00:01:34,079 --> 00:01:40,000 cloud. And through that same network 24 00:01:37,759 --> 00:01:45,360 connectivity paradigm, you could even do things like order chocolates on Amazon 25 00:01:43,119 --> 00:01:50,240 on the way to a visit with grandma and have the driver meet you midway. So you 26 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:54,960 don't even have to take an extra 5 minutes to go into the store to get 27 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:56,799 them. And valet in parking lots. I mean, 28 00:01:54,960 --> 00:02:02,159 even multi-level parking lots where it would be pretty darn difficult to use 29 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:07,439 GPS navigation, for example. Valets could be replaced by robots that guide 30 00:02:04,719 --> 00:02:11,120 autonomous cars to a birth and then don't ask for a tip for their trouble. 31 00:02:09,759 --> 00:02:17,200 But naturally, you'd need a very different kind of car to get the most 32 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:19,200 out of this idea. And that is where the 33 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:23,040 sculpture, as they're calling it, they've they've been very firm with me. 34 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:27,360 Do not call it a car. Do not call it a prototype. Do not call it a concept. 35 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:31,720 It's it's a sculpture. It's an idea. So, the interior design has been 36 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:36,720 dramatically altered. Instead of bulky dashboards, even kind of futuristic 37 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:41,760 feeling stuff like LCD monitors and cool looking illuminated buttons, BMW 38 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:46,080 envisions a much more open and spacious alternative. This would give the driver 39 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:51,360 and the front seat passenger room to relax and stretch out in autonomous mode 40 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:56,319 or even enjoy a movie with a similar level of comfort to home. They even 41 00:02:54,400 --> 00:03:01,200 allow the passengers to have different audio experiences with what they're 42 00:02:58,319 --> 00:03:06,959 calling sound curtains. So, these are speakers in the headrest and the seat 43 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:14,159 that are only audible when your head is within a very small zone. And they even 44 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:19,280 include active noise cancellation in the sound system. So whatever music your 45 00:03:16,159 --> 00:03:21,920 passenger is listening to is completely 46 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:25,840 inaudible to the driver, which is great if you have very different tastes in 47 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:28,879 music from your passengers. Or say you want to get on a conference call with 48 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:33,440 someone and the passenger doesn't want their music or their movie to be 49 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:38,959 interrupted. Of course though, you still need to interface with the car in 50 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:41,920 driving mode. BMW is still a a driving 51 00:03:38,959 --> 00:03:46,799 company. So, this is really cool and the engineer who showed it to us was super 52 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:52,640 awesome. Um, they designed a holographic display with gesture sensing and haptic 53 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:58,640 feedback. Okay, so the holographic display is visible only to the driver. 54 00:03:56,159 --> 00:04:04,319 So, you see buttons just floating in the air in front of you. It's pretty trippy. 55 00:04:01,599 --> 00:04:10,239 Gesture control is handled by Intel Real Sense technology. So the car knows when 56 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:11,840 your finger is over a button. But the 57 00:04:10,239 --> 00:04:14,799 craziest part, and this was what the engineer actually had worked on, and she 58 00:04:13,519 --> 00:04:20,560 was like really proud of this. It's freaking awesome, is the array of 59 00:04:17,280 --> 00:04:24,000 ultrasonic transducers or or or speakers 60 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:26,240 that feels like a mild um tingling 61 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:30,360 sensation on your finger when you push down on a button or interact with the 62 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:34,000 holographic display. It It's really cool. You kind 63 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:39,600 of have to try it, and I'm sorry that you guys can't. You'll just have to take my word for it. In the back is kind of 64 00:04:37,919 --> 00:04:44,400 like a living room on wheels. I mean, obviously this is I won't use concept 65 00:04:41,759 --> 00:04:50,400 phase, this is sculpture phase stuff that we're looking at here. And while 66 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:52,560 cork is perhaps a realistic, sustainable 67 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:57,360 natural material to use in the future, moss probably won't make it into a 68 00:04:54,880 --> 00:05:02,080 finished product anytime soon. But the idea of having a tablet enabled 4K 69 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:07,440 projection screen in the back of the car to watch movies or like a bookshelf 70 00:05:05,199 --> 00:05:11,520 where I can pick something out, get comfortable, and relax and read while 71 00:05:09,840 --> 00:05:16,639 the car takes me wherever it is I need to go is amazing. Especially for people 72 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:20,960 like me who don't really suffer from motion sickness in the back of vehicles 73 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:26,120 or while reading. So, autonomous cars cannot come soon enough for me.