Did you imagine a Minority reportA world where you can interact with technology just by pointing at things? Well, Lexus wants to make that a reality…in your car.
The Japanese brand showed off a number of cool, futuristic cars at this year’s Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo, each offering a glimpse into the kind of in-car technology we can expect from the brand in the coming years.
One of the most interesting of these systems is the Reality in Motion2 system, which is enabled by Toyota’s upcoming advanced Arene operating system, which it claims will take in-car customization to the next level.
For example, it has the ability to replicate the driving characteristics, sounds and vibrations associated with different types of cars, so the driver can customize the experience to suit their personal preferences. Furthermore, the aforementioned Reality in Motion2 system allows drivers to simply point to objects, companies or landmarks outside vehicles and access further information. Like Googling something with your finger.
According to Lexus, the car’s on-board sensors work in conjunction with digital data from the car’s surroundings. “For example, when drivers point out interesting objects or places during their trip, the car’s display instantly provides the information along with voice guidance, enhancing the interactive connection between people and their cars,” Lexus said at the Japanese Mobility Expo.
what is the point?
This may all sound like a flight of fantasy, but Lexus is forging ahead with the technology, and some journalists were lucky enough to get a sneak preview of it in action in Tokyo last month.
According to Autoblog, one of the outlets invited to receive a demo of the technology, Lexus engineers “demonstrated these features at a test session held in the parking lot of Toyota’s testing center outside Nagoya.”
How do you fare? Well, according to Autoblog, “It generally did what Lexus said it would do. Whether you’re in the driver or passenger seat, you can point to the window, say the alert word or phrase, and it will mark the point of interest.”
This greatly reduces driver distraction when behind the wheel, and also reduces the temptation to pick up a smartphone when you don’t know the name of a business or landmark in the vicinity.
Alternatively, the Reality in Motion2 system can make it as simple as pointing to a cool-looking café and asking the Lexus infotainment system what time it closes, rather than diving into Google Maps, locating the business and then pulling up its details. We will be watching with interest to see how this develops.
