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The main problem with our fascination with automotive touchscreens these days is that, inevitably, the display eventually becomes covered in unsightly, greasy fingerprints. Well, BMW has found a way around that by developing a holographic virtual touchscreen, which it is calling HoloActive Touch.
Scheduled to debut this futuristic system at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas early in 2017, HoloActive Touch has a free-floating, non-physical display in the centre console. Using finger gestures, the driver can operate the system in much the same way as a touchscreen, with HoloActive Touch even providing tactile 'pulse' feedback to make it feel like actual buttons are being pressed.
The technology used for this wizardry is an amalgam of three of BMW's existing set-ups: Head-Up Display (HUD), Gesture Control and direct touchscreen operation. The 'floating screen' is generated by reflections in much the same way HUD projects onto the windscreen, with the new interface projected next to the steering wheel at the height of the centre console. A camera detects the driver's hand movements and the position of their fingertips to ensure the relevant function is activated. The German carmaker also says that HoloActive Touch will allow the user to access all of the services provided by BMW Connected.
HoloActive Touch is part of the BMW i Inside Future study at CES 2017, which will give visitors the chance to get an impression of the car interiors in a future where vehicles are self-driving and seamlessly connected.
Anything else?
BMW has used CES to deliver such advanced interface technologies before, with Gesture Control itself debuting in 2015 - it's now available in production versions of the 7 Series and new 5 Series - while in 2016, AirTouch built on that by allowing the user to employ simple gestures made with an open hand to activate control pads on a large panoramic display in the dashboard, without having to touch the control interface.