BMW's HoloActive Touch Is a Floating Command Center of Controls

BMW is proving that the future of automotive innovation will take place inside a car. The German automaker has just announced the first details on its HoloActive Touch, a futuristic dashboard interface concept that will utilize gesture commands. Working with services offered via BMW’s ConnectedDrive cloud architecture, the virtual display will not be confined to just the windshield like current HUD displays but instead will use reflections to create the illusion of “floating” in space around the driver. A camera will detect the driver’s fingertips and interactions with the control surface and the unit then “confirms the commands with what the driver perceives as tactile feedback.” According to the BMW press release, “for the first time, the functions can be controlled without any physical contact with materials, but the technology still enables the visible and tangible driver-vehicle interaction familiar from conventional touchscreens.”

There is no clear definition of “tactile feedback” provided by Beemer at this time but the company plans to officially debut the product at CES 2017 next month in Las Vegas, NV. Stay tuned for more information and let us know if this is the kind of tech you want to see in cars moving forward.