Bosch concept car

More from CES 2017, with Bosch revealing a new concept car that shows how different spheres of life will be seamlessly interconnected in the future.

“The vehicle will play a central role in cross-domain communication,” Struth said. Personalized communication between the car and its driver will also be expanded: New functions are connecting the car to its surroundings, the smart home and the repair shop. These functions will make highly automated driving possible. “Bosch is working diligently to make sure that mobility and smart services become one,” said Struth. “If the car is connected to the smart home or the smart city via the cloud, there will be measurable benefits. Connectivity is turning the car into an assistant on four wheels.”

The Bosch concept car comprises a broad range of innovative technologies including the moment the driver sits down, facial recognition technology sets the steering wheel, mirrors, interior temperature, and radio station according to the driver’s individual preferences. The system is controlled via a haptic touch display and an innovative gesture control system, both of which give tangible feedback when they are used. If the car is highly automated, cloud-based services enable videoconferences, or allow drivers and passengers to plan their weekend shopping trips or watch the latest videos.

When communicating with its surroundings, the car also takes on important tasks in the connected city. For instance, with community-based parking, the car is becoming a parking spot locator. When driving along the street, the car detects gaps between parked cars. The data gathered is then transmitted to a digital street map. High-performance Bosch algorithms assess the plausibility of the data and make forecasts on the parking spot situation. A cloud-based service that uses this data to create a real-time parking map saves the driver a great deal of time and money, and also helps reduce stress.

Pilot projects in the U.S. are planned for 2017. In cooperation with Mercedes-Benz, Bosch is currently testing the community-based parking concept in metropolitan Stuttgart.

Chris Beastall

Chris is the Founder and Editor of Ape to Gentleman. His interests lie in men's style, male grooming and leading a better lifestyle - through minimalist, basic and clean design.