We’ve come a long way since Henry Ford first rolled out the Model T in 1908, and car companies have ensured that the future is autonomous vehicles. While the automotive industry may have dropped the ball on delivering flying cars by October 2015, as predicted in Back to the Future, the growth of autonomous vehicles is still a significant enhancement over our current cars on the road. Kia is ready for the future of autonomous vehicles with the design of its Real-time Emotion Adaptive Driving System (R.E.A.D.).
The innovative artificial intelligence (AI)-based system adapts vehicle interiors to the emotional state of passengers using sensors to monitor heart rate, electrodermal activity, and facial expressions. Once these readings are taken, the R.E.A.D. Systems customize the cabin interior to fit the passenger and attend to all five senses. An integral part of this system includes music-response vibration seats, allowing vibrations to match the frequencies of the music playing in the cabin. For those who enjoy a little extra tough of luxury, the seats are also capable of providing massage and haptic alerts.
Not only will the R.E.A.D. System be on display, but Kia will reveal V-Touch, a 3D camera that uses gesture control technology that allows passengers to alter internal features using finger motions. So if you wanted to change the radio station or turn up the AC, you don’t need to use physical buttons or touchscreens. Only your digits.
“Kia considers the interactive cabin a focal point for future mobility, and the R.E.A.D. System represents a convergence of cutting-edge vehicle control technology and AI-based emotional intelligence,” Hyundai Motor Group’s Head of Research and Development Albert Biermann says. “The system enables continuous communication between driver and vehicle through the unspoken language of ‘feeling’, thereby providing an optimal, human-sense oriented space for the driver in real time.”
Demonstrations of this technology will be available to those visiting the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), with a four-wheel electric cycle SEED Car concept with one, two, and four person cockpits.