Carzaam Automotive News Episode 14

Mercedes-Benz VISION AVTR

Mercedes-Benz was the talk of CES2020 where it revealed its take on the vehicle as a "living creature" with a futuristic new model called the Vision Avatar which was developed in close collaboration with James Cameron and the team behind the sci-fi fantasy film of the same name.

Unveiled at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the Vision AVTR concept car is a more imaginative version of Mercedes' Vision EQS luxury saloon which was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2019 and is set for production in 2021.

Both models feature a structure that Mercedes-Benz calls a "one bow" proportion, which features a stretched profile with a long cabin, short bonnet and expansive doors.

The front and rear axles of the car can be driven in the same or opposite direction, enabling the car to move sideways by around 30 degrees "like a crab” giving the vehicle a reptile-like appearance even in its movement.

In the keynote speech at CES 2020, Mercedes-Benz chief design officer Gordon Wagener said "We didn't want to create a car, we wanted to create something like a living organism.

We created a futuristic vehicle that had to authentically look like it came out of the amazing Avatar world of Pandora”.

Sony VISION-S

Nobody saw this coming. Sony, the company that used to define Consumer Electronics Shows of the past, rolled out an electric concept car, the Vision-S.

The Vision-S was created, quietly and with zero publicity, as a testbed for the various sensors and infotainment systems that can be used in passenger cars. Sony is looking for more sales, and more respect, for the automotive technology it has developed and is chasing the Samsung-Harman juggernaut that sells multiple suites of safety, entertainment and advanced driver-assistance systems to manufacturers.

The Vision-S looks like a Tesla from many angles and uses the now-common skateboard concept with heavy batteries as a slice at the bottom of the vehicle, improving stability. 

The car has 33 sensors embedded in the car which can detect and recognize passengers in the cabin and their location relative to the nearest Sony screen. Other sensors track vehicles and pedestrians outside the car.

Biometrics

Automotive applications are the next logical step for biometrics after their successful implementation in smartphones and laptops to reduce password use.

Automakers are exploring the potential of fingerprint sensors, eye scans, voice and facial recognition to provide access to the car and start its engine and these were all born out in the prevalence of automotive biometrics at CES 2020.

EyeLock partners with SiriusXM

EyeLock announced a collaboration with SiriusXM to apply its iris biometric authentication technology to create a highly secure, touchless e-wallet gateway.

SiriusXM plans to offer the e-Wallet to automakers to allow drivers and passengers to conduct in-car commerce including to find and pay or for coffee, gas, movie tickets or parking while on the go

Byton SUV uses voice and facial biometrics

Also at CES 2020, electric carmaker Byton is showing off its new M-Byte SUV with personalized dashboards provided for different users through biometric facial recognition. The vehicle also features voice control with biometric voice recognition to enable drivers and passengers to call up playlists, contacts, and preferred apps.

www.carzaam.com/post/carzaam-news-episode-14-coolest-automotive-tech-trends-and-takeaways-from-ces-2020-part-1