Volkswagen has acquired a minority stake in technology company SeeReal Technologies with a vision to develop its augmented reality display technology for future vehicles. The two companies began working together at the end of 2018.
In the full-electric Volkswagen ID.31, information will be projected into the driver’s field of vision, with direct links to the driver’s environment, via an augmented reality head-up display.
Head of Volkswagen Group innovation, Dr Axel Heinrich, said, “Augmented reality will be a key component in future mobility and interaction concepts. This is why we are focusing on key technologies such as holography, which will present this new reality in a fascinating way. We will be providing the automotive requirements for this exciting project and the know-how in 3D technology will be contributed by SeeReal.”
Using the SealReal Technologies platforms, future generations of head-up displays developed at VW could project potentially hazardous situations on the road into the driver’s environment in three dimensions on ‘touchable’ displays suspended in front of the driver. Telephone conversations could appear as holograms, and passengers could play games such as Tetris. Innovative displays could be shown both in the distance and near to the driver. All occupants would be able to use these touchable three-dimensional displays using their natural vision for information or interaction. Conventional dashboards may become obsolete and vehicles might be controlled via virtual switches and displays.
CEO of SeeReal Technologies, Bo Krøll, commented, “Automotive applications and interaction solutions for drivers and passengers represent a significant market potential for SeeReal’s holographic display technology. The current cooperation, which combines Volkswagen’s technology and market leadership with SeeReal’s unique holographic display technology, will be further strengthened by Volkswagen’s investment in SeeReal.”
