Motion sickness be damned; virtual reality could become a fixture of motoring in the future if one German startup has its way.
That German startup is Holoride, formed in Munich in late-2018 after spinning off from Audi. The company has formed a collaboration with Audi's fellow VW Group brand Porsche to develop sensor-equipped virtual reality headsets that can link up with relevant vehicle data to entertain and educate vehicle passengers in a way not seen before. Holoride has also found a partner in mass media company Discovery, for assistance in producing immersive educational content for passengers to enjoy.
Since presenting its in-vehicle virtual reality system to the world at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, Holoride appeared this month at the biennial Frankfurt Motor Show, demonstrating a different side of its unique "edutainment" system with Porsche. Integral to the Holoride system is how it uses various sensor and vehicle input to tailor its content to the ride being taken; if the Porsche takes a corner, the virtual vehicle that the Holoride user is traveling in turns with it.
This maximizes immersion, Porsche says, while allegedly minimizing motion sickness for the user. We'll see.
Moreover, in the future, the virtual reality system will be able to receive input from the vehicle's satellite navigation system, allowing it to tailor the length of the content to the projected length of the drive. The content demonstrated in Frankfurt this month included two- and three-dimensional content like documentaries, an underwater adventure, and per the press release, a "journey in time." Whatever that means.
"Our joint projects with Holoride and Porsche Digital have demonstrated what the technology is capable of," says Porsche Smart Mobility Project Manager Anja Mertens. "In future we also envisage Porsche-specific solutions, for instance for the race track ."
Holoride's unique in-vehicle virtual reality system should be available in production vehicles from 2021, the company says.
That German startup is Holoride, formed in Munich in late-2018 after spinning off from Audi. The company has formed a collaboration with Audi's fellow VW Group brand Porsche to develop sensor-equipped virtual reality headsets that can link up with relevant vehicle data to entertain and educate vehicle passengers in a way not seen before. Holoride has also found a partner in mass media company Discovery, for assistance in producing immersive educational content for passengers to enjoy.
This maximizes immersion, Porsche says, while allegedly minimizing motion sickness for the user. We'll see.
Moreover, in the future, the virtual reality system will be able to receive input from the vehicle's satellite navigation system, allowing it to tailor the length of the content to the projected length of the drive. The content demonstrated in Frankfurt this month included two- and three-dimensional content like documentaries, an underwater adventure, and per the press release, a "journey in time." Whatever that means.
Holoride: it's a whale of a time.
"Our joint projects with Holoride and Porsche Digital have demonstrated what the technology is capable of," says Porsche Smart Mobility Project Manager Anja Mertens. "In future we also envisage Porsche-specific solutions, for instance for the race track ."
Holoride's unique in-vehicle virtual reality system should be available in production vehicles from 2021, the company says.