Bosch showcase the future of connected cars at CES

Bosch’s concept is all about “turning the car into a personal assistant” and “the third living space”. A driver monitor camera with face-recognition technology recognises the driver as soon as he or she gets in the car and personalises the set-up of the steering wheel, mirrors, interior temperature and radio station. The system also detects driver drowsiness and issues a warning signal.

Bosch’s concept also includes gesture-control with haptic feedback, which uses ultrasound to determine the driver’s hand gestures and translate them into tasks. The same haptic technology is deployed on the touchscreen in the concept, which makes the touchscreen buttons feel like real buttons, making it possible to operate the infotainment controls without looking, and thus avoid loss of eye contact with the road ahead.

The car’s cockpit uses OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays, a technology now being deployed by many mainstream manufacturers to create a much clearer display. The concept also deploys a “mirror cam system”, cameras that replace the wing mirrors. Video sensors inside the car project the images from the cameras close to both A-pillars by the windscreen. The displays adapt depending on the environment - on a motorway, the view displayed will be mainly behind the car while in a city environment, a broader view is shown.

Bosch’s concept car also has advanced communication abilities with the driver, the home and bicycles. A human interface machine (HMI) lets the driver know whether automated driving is possible on a specific route. During the automated journey, the HMI shows the driver what the car’s environmental sensors detect and how much time is left until the driver should regain control.

As for communication with the home, the Bosch Smart Home App allows drivers to perform tasks when the car is in automated driving mode, such as operating house awnings, looking at what’s going on around the house or checking whether there’s enough food in the fridge. The app can then transmit a shopping list to a store’s home delivery service.

Bosch is also showing the link between car and bikes at CES this week. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication will make it possible for cars to know about cyclists long before they hove into view, with obvious safety benefits.