“The car is a learning system,” explains Daimler CEO Ola Källenius. “It’s like a very good butler — the more you use it, the better it knows and anticipates your preferences.”
In-car conveniences will be taken much further in the years to come. In January, Bosch wowed audiences at CES with a prototype of its Virtual Visor, which is expected to go into development over the next few years. The transparent LCD screen fixes to the windscreen and uses an RGB camera to track the movement of the sun on the driver's face. If it detects too much sunlight, the screen becomes tinted, blocking the glare. Given how often temporary blindness contributes to accidents, this is both a comfort feature and safety feature.
Several brands and start-ups, such as Affectiva Automotive AI, are working on dashboard technology that uses cameras and microphones to monitor the driver's face and voice for fatigue and distraction. If this ‘emotion detection’ system believes you’re in danger, then it might play music to wake you up or take control to pull the car over. Not only would this function prevent accidents, but it could also reduce driver stress. While this is difficult technology to develop because of the nuances in human facial expressions, it’s an exciting innovation that hints at the artificial intelligence possibilities of the future.