Check out more of our CES 2023 coverage.
What you'll learn:
- BMW Group's integration of a full-windscreen head-up display that features its mixed-reality slider.
- More on E Ink's color-changing technology used on the Vision Dee.
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023 in Las Vegas, the BMW Group shared its vision of the future digital experience, both inside and outside the vehicle. BMW i Vision Dee—the name “Dee” stands for Digital Emotional Experience—is a futuristic mid-size sedan with a new head-up display (HUD) extending across the full width of the windscreen. From 2025 onwards, this innovation will be available in the models of the BMW’’s Neue Klasse cars.
So, too, will BMW Group’s use of color-change technology, previously reported here. That technology, which was first revealed at last year’s CES with the ability to change from black to white, now allows the Vision Dee to curate its exterior in up to 32 colors.
In the BMW i Vision Dee, projection across the entire width of the windscreen enables information to be displayed on the largest possible surface, which only becomes recognizable as a display once it’s activated. In this way, the BMW Group demonstrates the huge potential of projection technology and BMW i Vision Dee visualizes how an advanced HUD also could be utilized in the future for display and operating concepts.
The standard-production version of the BMW HUD extending across the full width of the windscreen will be used in the models of the Neue Klasse series from 2025 onwards.
At CES, Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, gave the keynote on January 4 and illustrated the vision of BMW Group for digital mobility of the future: “With the BMW i Vision Dee, we are showcasing what is possible when hardware and software merge. In this way, we are able to exploit the full potential of digitalization to transform the car into an intelligent companion. That is the future for automotive manufacturers.”
The reveal included a video involving Arnold Schwarzenegger reminiscing about the relationship people had with their cars in the 1980s, while the voice of Dee tried to convince him that the cars of the future will be the ultimate companions:
Into the Virtual World in Five Steps
BMW’s Mixed Reality Slider, in combination with the HUD, is the central operating control of BMW i Vision Dee. Using sensors on the instrument panel, drivers can decide for themselves how much digital content they want to see on the advanced HUD.
The five-step selection ranges from analog to driving-related information, to the contents of the communications system, to augmented-reality projection, right up to entry into virtual worlds. In parallel, dimmable windows also can be used to gradually fade out reality. Figure 2 A mixed-reality slider control determines what’s seen via the head-up display.
The digital experience already begins outside the vehicle, with a personalized welcome scenario that combines graphical elements and light and sound effects. The headlights and the closed BMW kidney grille also form a fusion of physical and digital on a uniform surface, according to BMW. The grille can change shape, allowing the vehicle to produce different “facial” expressions.
The vehicle interacts with its environment using its numerous sensors to register the identity and position of the person. It reacts when they approach, automatically opening doors to welcome the driver as he/she approaches the cockpit.
This means BMW i Vision Dee can in a sense “talk” to people and, at the same time, express moods such as joy, astonishment, or approval visually. In addition, BMW i Vision Dee can project an image of the driver’s avatar onto the side window to further personalize the welcome scenario.
Full-Color E Ink Technology
Following the debut of the BMW iX Flow Featuring E Ink at CES 2022, the BMW Group unveiled a full-color version of the E Ink technology in BMW i Vision Dee that will be used as the outer skin of the vehicle for the first time worldwide.
Rather than simply alternating between black and white, BMW i Vision Dee now showcases a multi-colored, fully variable, and individually configurable exterior. An ePaper film from the BMW Group’s cooperation partner, E Ink, is applied to the body to create this display. Up to 32 colors can be displayed.
The body surface of the BMW i Vision Dee is divided into 240 E Ink segments, each controlled individually. Even the wheels change color. This allows for a wide variety of patterns to be generated and varied within seconds. The laser cutting process used to trim the films and the electronic control design were developed in partnership with E Ink.
The adaptation of this technology for curved surfaces and the programming of the animations were created by BMW Group’s in-house engineers. It enables a form of customization said to be unique in the automotive sector worldwide. The design of BMW i Vision Dee has been deliberately pared down to focus attention on the digital experience and the DNA of the BMW brand. Traditional design elements, like the BMW kidney grille, twin circular headlights, and the Hofmeister kink, are reimagined.
Inside, digitalization goes hand in hand with reduced use of materials, operating controls, and displays to ensure nothing distracts from the digital experience and enhanced driving pleasure.
The unconventional design of the steering wheel, with its central vertical spoke, creates touchpoints that come to life when approached or touched and can be operated by moving the thumb. These touchpoints control selection of the content projected onto the windscreen and, together with the HUD, support the principle of “hands on the wheel, eyes on the road.” The steering wheel, pedals, and gear selector are the only physical controls on the vehicle
The BMW Group said it will provide further insights and glimpses of the Neue Klasse vehicle concept over the course of 2023.
Check out more of our CES 2023 coverage.