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Car headlights of the future won't blind other drivers
Carnegie Mellon's work on headlights has made an appearance here before, where it's near-future smart headlights would parse raindrops and 'cancel' them out, projecting light around the rain drops, substantially improving visibility. But that's just one of many tricks that the Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute's smart headlights are now capable of. The newest iteration's feedback system continuously looks at what your headlights are doing, processing and thinking about how to shine better. To start, the system detects vehicles headed towards the car and disables the range of light that's directed at the oncoming driver, even on high-beam settings.
Richard Branson hints at Virgin electric cars to rival Tesla
The Virgin giganto-brand already encompasses a media empire, a few airlines, wireless phone service, some hotels and an honest-to-goodness space program -- why wouldn't it churn out some electric cars for us, too? CEO Richard Branson hinted as much during a chat with Bloomberg, noting that Virgin's already got a team plugging away on high-speed electric car that'll participate in the Formula E racing circuit, but here's the bit that everyone's seized on: "We have teams of people working on electric cars," Branson said. "So you never know-you may find Virgin competing with the Tesla in the car business as we do in the space business. We will see what happens."
Porsche offers to put modern tech in the dash of your classic 911
Older sports cars are great for hitting the open road, but let's face it, they lack the bells and whistles of modern automobiles. Porsche is looking to help, though, with a new version of its Radio Navigation System for those older vehicles. On top of turn-by-turn directions, the Bluetooth unit sorts hands-free calls with ports for playing tunes from an SD card, iPod, USB stick or via an auxiliary cable. So if you have a Porsche 911 up to type 993, or a 4- or 8-cylinder that dates back to 1965, you're in luck. Best of all, this new unit sports the overall look of those classic interiors, rather than a modern faceplate from the likes of Pioneer or Alpine. The automaker has offered to outfit older cars with navigation systems before, but this more robust upgrade costs €1,184 (around $1,342). Unfortunately, US pricing and availability hasn't been announced just yet.
Chevy is making its long-range Bolt EV concept car a reality
Chevrolet is moving forward with its plans to build the long-range, all-electric Bolt. The crossover-style EV was unveiled a month ago as a concept car at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, not far from the Orion Assembly plant, where the carmaker will begin manufacturing the electric vehicle. When it was unveiled, the company announced target specs including a 200-mile range and a price of around $30,000. Those numbers would put it in direct competition with Tesla's upcoming Model 3 EV. By comparison, Chevy's $27,000 Spark EV city car manages roughly 82 miles on a charge.
Sharp's new any-shape displays are coming to cars and a whole lot more
Sharp's been working on its isn't-that-concept-art free-form displays (FFD) for a few years and, well, CES is a good place to show and tell us where they'll eventually end up, you know, in real life. We've just seen some of the more polished prototypes that will form the basis for dash-based displays in cars coming to market by 2017. But while we knew that was the aim, it's only the start. These low-power IGZO displays "don't need edges," so they can be cut into any shape and while there's no touch functionality in the current prototypes, it can be added -- meaning they could be found in mobile devices and (according to reports at least), something from Nintendo. Sharp had a great display where two circles were cut out and used as separate displays, and the "leftover" screen also functioned as part of a larger dash display. Here, take a look:
Reuters: Google's 'Android M' will hook cars directly to the internet
If Reuters' rumors are true, then apparently the folks at Mountain View think the Android Auto overlays rolling out this year don't go far enough. Citing unnamed sources, it indicates that an Android 'M' able to embed directly into cars -- no smartphone necessary -- is set to roll out in about a year. The idea is to make Android the standard for controlling navigation and entertainment, no matter what phone the driver is holding. Some automakers, like Hyundai and Honda have already announced plans for systems that run their own custom flavors of Android, but it sounds like this could go much further -- if any automakers actually plug it into their vehicles. The Detroit Auto Show rolls around next month right after CES, if any such project is under way then those seem like excellent times to make an announcement, don't you think?
Google will have sole control over the interfaces of Android Auto, Wear and TV
You'd better get used to the interfaces you saw for Android Auto, Wear and TV at the Google I/O conference this past week -- you're going to be seeing them a lot. Google tells Ars Technica that it will maintain sole (official) control over the interface for all three new platforms, rather than give that power to manufacturers. While companies will be allowed branding and extra services, they won't get to modify the core experience. You won't see a Gear Live sequel with the Gear 2's front end, for example, or find your way around town with a Honda-exclusive take on Android Auto.
Apple introduces CarPlay (Updated)
Early Monday morning Apple introduced CarPlay, which offers a new way to integrate iOS 7 and your car (select models). Set to debut in 2014, CarPlay will let users make calls, send and receive messages, and listen to music, all from their car's built-in display. Several apps will be supported at launch, including Podcasts, Beats Music, Spotify, iHeartRadio and Stitcher. Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo will showcase CarPlay at next week's Geneva International Motor Show. Meanwhile, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota will make future vehicles CarPlay-compatible. Update: Volvo has produced a video that gives a brief demo of CarPlay in action.
Apple announces CarPlay: in-vehicle voice and touch access to notifications, maps and music (update: video)
Apple has officially announced CarPlay, its new in-car interface that'll be compatible with new Ferrari, Mercedes and Volvo cars unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show this week. Designed "from the ground up" to bridge the gap between your iPhone and your auto, it will offer touch- and Siri-based voice navigation of your smartphone services, including contacts, voicemail, notifications, map directions and music cueing -- it will even support third-party apps like Spotify and iHeartRadio from launch. Voice controls will be activated by a button on the steering wheel, while the in-car touchscreen is populated with those familiar iOS 7 icons for easy access. The service will launch as an iOS update for Lightning-enabled iPhones (that's iPhone 5 and up), with CarPlay-compatible vehicles launching later this year. And if any of the above aren't your preferred automaker, Apple says that you can expect compatible cars from BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota and several more in the near future. Update: At first CarPlay will only allow you to connect through a Lightning cable, but WiFi should be coming in the near future -- at least from Volvo. And, in case you're wondering, the CarPlay connection is based on the H.264 video protocol, and sends user input from the touchscreen back to your iDevice. There's also a video demo/teaser that we've added after the break.
Renault prototype is a self-driving massage parlor
Renault wants to make your commute as chill as possible. Assuming your route is "protected" (free of pedestrians, cyclists or lane changes), the French automaker has a few tricks up its sleeve to make gridlocked traffic less of a hassle. Once you engage automated driving mode, the Next Two prototype releases scents to calm you down, adjusts cabin lighting, kicks the seat back and activates massage motors to melt away the day's stresses. The company purposely designed these features to activate at below 19MPH (30KPH) -- about half of Audi's cap -- to take the frustration out of bumper-to-bumper traffic. With the push of a button though, the reins are back in your hands and everyone's safety is up to you. As SlashGear has noticed, the Next Two prototype can also take care of parking, with an automated valet feature that finds a spot, and returns on demand to the driver -- all controlled via smartphone app. There's a video demo after the break laying out possible features, but it could be years before we find out if these compromises satisfy the safety authorities. If Renault has its way though, the Next Two will debut by 2020.
CES 2014: Auto roundup
While some categories at this year's International CES were a little quiet, the same cannot be said for autos. 2014's show floor was filled with car stuff, not simply from the major vendors at the show, but also from the acres of companies selling every accessory imaginable. Our takeaway from this outing is that autonomous control and re-inventing our car's oft-overlooked analog interiors are what most -- if not all -- vendors will be up to at least in part for 2014. Follow on for a few of the highlights from this year's show.
Hands-on with the Garmin Dash Cam
Garmin rolled into this year's CES with a ton of stuff, including a brand new camera which can be mounted on your windshield. Dubbed Dash Cam, the device can take WVGA, 720p or 1080p video, and the idea is to have it capture footage of daily drives and use that as evidence in case of an accident -- "It is fully automated and gives drivers peace of mind knowing any events that might occur will be captured," Garmin says. The Dash Cam, which features a 2.3-inch display, also comes with a built-in microphone, microSD card slot and a GPS receiver that makes it possible to have time-stamps and geo-tags on all recordings. After spending a bit of time using it, we can safely say it performs well and does exactly what it's meant to; unfortunately we weren't able to test it on the road, but the menus and settings are straightforward enough for any driver to use practically. While we can certainly see more than one use for Garmin's Dash Cam (read: monitor your teenager's driving habits), its starting price of $220 might end up being a bit too steep for some. Either way, there's a gallery past the jump for you to enjoy, so take a look and let us know what you think.
Hands-on with BMW's self-parking i3
BMW was keen to show off some ConnectedDrive technology at CES in its new i3, so it trucked us -- well, i640'd -- out to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for a demo. We had a brief look at the BMW i Remote app installed on a Samsung Galaxy Gear, where the car's battery state, range, lock status and other niceties are displayed. Lost your car on some street after it parked itself? Communication flows both ways with the BMW i3 and by simply asking the car to "make some noise" using the watch, the horn will honk after a short delay. One of the i3's most compelling features is its $1,000 Parking Package. At the push of a button using ultrasonic sensors, the car will both find and then park itself in a spot with as little as 22 inches of extra space. Self-parking cars aren't new, but the little electric i3 does the complete procedure and doesn't need driver input on gas or braking. We tried the entire parking procedure and it worked flawlessly as it backed into the spot and then adjusted back and forth a bit to get properly aligned with the curb. Is it worth the $1,000 bucks? If you're not the most adept driver when it comes to parallel parking, we'd say it absolutely looks worth it. Don't believe us? Take a peek at the video right below.
Hands-on with Audi's all-digital dash for the 2015 TT and likely home for its Smart Display tablet
Audi's TT, considered by the German maker as its design icon, gets revamped for 2015 and its dash and all-digital cluster made a break from cover at CES. What's immediately apparent when you hop into the curvy leather-wrapped interior setup at the booth is that the traditional center stack is completely absent. All the information that was once viewable by the entire cabin now seems reserved for the driver alone. It's decidedly odd that the front passenger no longer has access to the display so we'd suggest that the mysterious Audi 10.2-inch Smart Display we saw earlier this week will feature prominently in the next TT, possibly as standard equipment. The entire system is simple to use with the 12.3-inch TFT displaying bright colors and easy-to-read fonts. The display features two main modes, including a driving-centric mode where the tach and speedometer are in the foreground; when in navigation mode, they move out to the edges of the screen to offer as much real estate to the maps as possible. The digital dash navigation is done via either steering wheel-mounted controls or the redesigned rotary push-button control mounted on the center tunnel console. A really swish feature of the jog dial sees the top surface of the control act as a touch surface for entering text by scribbling with a finger when required. Now we just need to see the car to wrap around this interior and we'll be all set, but until then, have a look of the video of the next TT's infotainment equipment in action.
BMW's autonomous car, or how we drifted into love with a robot
BMW promised, under the banner of its ConnectedDrive platform, to demonstrate some autonomous driving at this years' CES, and wow did it deliver. Labeled as ActiveAssist, the technology describes both partially and highly automated driving and we were definitely out to sample the highly automated variety. Highly automated driving, as the name suggests means the car will essentially drive itself with you sitting as passenger "up to the car's dynamic limit", or as we discovered to about 80 MPH. The prototype research cars on hand were tuned for CES by removing the external sensors to make them, more than likely, more pleasant to look at. We chose the M235i -- because who wouldn't, given the choice? -- though there was a diesel 6-series Grand Coupe as well. Seeing as the sensors were missing, the car was following a pre-defined path, but still completely reactive to its environment. The most compelling example of this was on the second lap of the infield track set up at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, when we drifted. Yeah, we put our faith in robot hands and got very sideways through a wet section of the track. I was watching the wheel as we slid and was almost hypnotized seeing the wheel constantly spinning to correct our trajectory and keep the slide going. Sure, the reality of being transported about by your car is a long way off, maybe as much as 10 years. But all the small pieces that spin off from this technology into cars today make the small steps to robot domination fun. Consider things like active cruise control, which can stop the car completely, then resume driving or self-parking cars and it is easy to see that gradual progress. We for one love where this is going, but we wouldn't be hurt to see it let us race our own cars, you know? Find the video tour and our interview with BMW's Werner Huber just below.
Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG with QNX CAR for Infotainment hands-on
Tucked in a corner of the massive North Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center is a Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG wrapped in flat black vinyl. The only things that stand out about this car are the big red brakes. That is, until you pop open a door and spy the beautiful expanse of touchscreen that extends from passenger door across to and including the instrument panel. QNX has extended on the technology we saw in 2013 with both better-looking panels and a seriously handsome interface. For instance, the system can now run Jelly Bean apps -- as demonstrated by the inclusion of iHeartRadio -- a phone/tablet app that hooks into the system for passenger interaction and full-band duplex stereo vehicle-to-vehicle calling. QNX also demonstrated its CAR platform's flexibility when it comes to navigation. Rather than just one nav platform, the CLA45 included Elektrobit, Kotei Navi & Data, Aisin AW and Nokia Here to show how the system could be integrated into any vendor environment. Have a look at our gallery just below the fold. Billy Steele contributed to this report
JVC outs more MHL-ready in-dash receivers at CES 2014
Face it: Your old car's factory stereo system isn't going to last forever -- eventually, you'll need to upgrade. Luckily, JVC is here to trot out its latest head units at CES 2014. Just like last year, the company has outfitted two of its new receivers (the KW-V0BT and KW-V40BT, specifically) with MHL support, giving Android users easy access to their mirrored apps while on the road. The new receivers can mirror iPhone 5 apps too, provided one brings their own Apple Lightning AV adapter. Folks without MHL-capable devices (or those who opt for the company's lower-end receivers) will still find support for 20 iPhone 4 and 4s apps through Bluetooth, including Waze and MotionX navigation. All seven of the company's new models also support Pandora, iHeartRadio and a standard assortment of hands-free features; you know, wireless music streaming, one-push voice calling and other phone functions. JVC says its new receivers are starting to roll out this month and will continue to arrive through March.
Hands-on with Garmin's windshield HUD prototype
We've tracked Garmin's K2 since last year at CES and this year sees a HUD concept introduced into its navigation mix. In our conversation with Garmin, it seems that in large part this year's focus is on following NHTSA driver distraction guidelines. Interaction with the HUD is very simple as there are only three buttons on the steering column: a scroll wheel which is mounted in capacitive housing, a back button and a menu button. Each level of the menu is well thought out, and only requires a roll of the finger to get in or a tap of a button to hop back out of. Colors, fonts and general layout have all been chosen to work well in brightly lit, snow, dark and most other conditions you find yourself in while out driving making the task of peeking down at the HUD quick and simple. Of course, we've seen many similar setups, but Garmin's infotainment-focused offering adds a dimension of useful and quick interaction to the system that makes it much more compelling than a simple read out of speed, direction and time. We look forward to see this hit retail but in the meantime give the video a once over if you want to see s bit more.
Audi's Sport Quattro Laserlight concept officially debuts at CES
Audi teased us with concept drawings of its Sport Quattro Laserlight months ago, and tonight it decided to show off the vehicle in the flesh (or metal and carbon fiber) at CES. Before we wax about the auto's looks, it's important to note the machine's technical details, as they alone inspire a fair bit of awe. The car's titular feature is its headlights, whose laser light can cut through through five football fields of darkness. Aside from the futuristic headlamps, the car's calling card is the combination of electric and gas motors -- the latter of which takes it 90 miles per gallon -- for a whopping 700 horsepower. Simply put, Audi's crafted the Laserlight to look stunning from any angle. From the front, its rectangular beams offer a dose of futurism, and its large grille looks eager to breathe in as much air as possible while tearing through the freeway. From the sides, it's difficult to ignore how the top of the car swoops down into its base, still leaving room for two seats in the rear. From behind, the iconic lights make a return alongside a carbon fiber accent, which can be found as trim in other areas of the hybrid. Of course, there's still no word on price or availability, as the automobile is still in the conceptual stage. To ogle at Audi's Sport Quattro Laserlight yourself, take a peek at the gallery above.
Garmin's new dash cam will record your crash, man
In the grand scheme of things, $220 might be a small price to pay when it comes to accident liability. Or $250, for that matter. In addition to the rear-facing camera it announced today, Garmin's also offering up a window-mounted dash cam. Where the other helps you avoid potential collisions in the first place, this one'll record the incident if, god forbid, you do get in an accident. The camera records wide-angle video in 1080p, 720p or WXGA resolutions, turning on and off with your engine. The Dash Cam has an incident detector, saving relevant video to its 4GB of storage (a number you increase via expandable memory). The 2.3-inch display, meanwhile, makes it easier to position the cam correctly, and, if need be, you can pull the camera off the windshield to take snapshots. The footage is timestamped and, if you opt for the $250 GPS version, geostamped, so you know where incidents occurred. Both models are arriving next month.
