User Experience as Important as Horsepower: Continental presents Next-Generation UX Technologies
TechShow Around the World 2021
- Intelligent and exciting concepts for the interior: ShyTech, 3D display, immersive sound experience and integrated camera systems
- Innovative solutions for interaction in the vehicle for more comfort and safety
- Continental sees "User Experience (UX)" as a key success factor for the mobility of the future
Frankfurt, Germany, October 2021. Rows of houses grow out of the display. A red stop sign hovers ten centimeters in front of the screen. In addition, numbers seem to magically hang in the air, indicateing the distance to the destination and the required travel time. And then this: Suddenly, on a smooth surface in wood, carbon or leather optics in the cockpit, the cover image of the driver’s favorite artist and virtual menu buttons for operating a music playlist appear. With such visual effects and an exciting design reduced to the essentials, Continental is revolutionizing the display and control surfaces in vehicles. The technology company is taking the discipline “User Experience”, which is becoming increasingly important in automotive engineering, to a new level. Acoustic perception also plays a major role in this. The speaker-free sound system Ac2ated Sound developed by Continental causes existing surfaces in the vehicle to vibrate. It allows the driver and passengers to delve into an impressive, immersive world of sound. With an integrated solution for interior sensors, Continental also increases comfort in the vehicle and the driver's well-being. The solutions are already meeting the necessary safety standards for the mobility of tomorrow.
"Our aim is a holistic, positive user experience," says Ulrich Lüders, Head of Strategy and Portfolio in the Human Machine Interface business unit at Continental. “Intelligent concepts for new worlds of experience in the vehicle interior are a main criterion for purchasing a vehicle. We are therefore pursuing a holistic approach that combines design, technology, interaction and integration and makes the vehicle an integral part of the user's digital life.” At its TechShow, Continental is presenting several innovative solutions for a comfortable and safe journey into the future.
Two innovative display solutions for attractive communication in the vehicle
The technology company is showing, among other things, a world premiere with a wow factor: The so-called ShyTech display makes the display and control surface disappear as if by magic under a surface in wood, carbon or leather look. Information, for example from the infotainment system, only appears in the best visual quality when it is needed. The solution thus combines a puristic design reduced to the essentials. ShyTech displays increase user-friendliness and safety while driving, because potential distractions are literally hidden and information and functions only appear when needed (function-on-demand).
On top of this, Continental is presenting another new type of display design solution: a curved 3D display that shows information with a special depth effect. The images, which float up to ten centimeters in front of the screen, can be captured without special glasses or a head-tracking camera. Thanks to the curved display surface, which is specially tailored to the human field of vision, the solution also reduces the distortion of the 3D effects to the left and right edges, where the display curvature is located. That creates a more natural, immersive driving experience. ShyTech display and 3D display – these are only two innovative concepts for the intuitive interaction between driver and vehicle to communicate more data and information in the vehicle in an intelligent, exciting, comfortable and safe way.
Mobile concert hall: 3D sound without speakers
In order to achieve first-class sound, conventional high-end audio systems in vehicles often require 10, 20 or even more speakers. These systems usually weigh up to 40 kilograms and have a total installation volume of 10 to 30 liters. However, modern vehicle architectures and interior concepts require ever more efficient, lighter and space-saving solutions in order to improve the user experience of the vehicle occupants in the long term. For this reason, Continental has developed a speakerless audio concept that delivers excellent concert hall-like acoustics with significantly lower weight and installation volume. At the same time, it contributes to lower CO2 emissions worldwide. The Ac2ated Sound technology used for this purpose uses actuators to vibrate surfaces in the vehicle interior to offer a first-class, immersive audio system. This saves up to 90 percent in weight and installation space and provides significantly more space for all vehicle occupants compared to conventional systems. Ac2ated Sound offers vehicle manufacturers design freedom thanks to invisible integration and smaller components.
Cabin Sensing: Invisible driver observation increases well-being and safety
The topic of safety and increased comfort are also crucial when developing new interior concepts. With a well-executed integration into a wide variety of displays, a miniaturized indoor camera can be invisible to the driver, but still see the driver. Driver detection recognizes factors such as distraction, drowsiness or even sudden emergencies such as fainting. This enables timely responses to prevent accidents. It is therefore an important contribution to Vision Zero and will become a legal requirement for new vehicles in many markets. In the future, the camera will even contribute to the well-being of the driver. Health status and emotions can be recognized and used as input parameters for virtual assistants with artificial intelligence. The system is scalable from standard components for small-volume applications to highly specific solutions.
Jennifer Weyrich
Media Spokesperson and Topic Manager Autonomous Mobility
Continental Automotive
Sebastian Fillenberg
Head of Content, Media Spokesperson and Topic Manager Architecture and Networking
Continental Automotive