BMW HoloActive Touch Powers A Revolutionary In-Car User Interface

BMW confirmed late last month that it was going to showcase a new infotainment technology at the Consumer Electronics Show 2017 in Las Vegas. The technology, called BMW HoloActive Touch, powers a revolutionary in-car user interface that combines the advantages of the BMW Head-Up Display, BMW gesture control, and intuitive touchscreen technology.

HoloActive Touch is BMW’s latest take on the future of in-car control and technology. It really pushed the industry forward several years ago with the introduction of its iDrive system which is still regarded as one of the best infotainment systems on the market and BMW has continued to refine it over the years.

Check the video below with new user interface in action shown to us during a private demo session at CES 2017 by Holger Hampf, Head of User Experience, BMW Group:

At the Consumer Electronics Show last year, BMW introduced its Air Touch system which packs a panoramic display that can be operated like a touchscreen, only that users don’t actually need to touch the display to control it. They can use a wide variety of gestures instead.

The UI basically spills out of the screen on the center console so everything the driver needs is right there at the fingertips. Even though the driver won’t actually be tapping the display, the system will provide tactile feedback when they interact with the virtual menus. A camera will track the driver’s hand to pick up on the position of the fingertips and detect when it taps on one of the holographic projections.

This new technology is part of BMW’s i Inside Future study which highlights the kind of mobility experience that connected cars of the future will offer. It can’t really be said for sure right now how long it would take for HoloActive Touch to actually make it to a BMW car.

The BMW i Inside Future was represented at CES 2017 as a sculpture, which had the shape of a futuristic looking car but was not a car, in fact there was no wheels. Check out the photos we took outside and inside of this car experience inside a sculpture:

 

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: bmw, CES, CES 2017, HoloActive Touch