Will Holograms be the New Touchscreens?

BMW isn’t afraid to experiment. When it comes to BMW technology, you never know what might spring up in their next vehicle. The leading brand often works closely with various tech-savvy companies in order to consider different ways to make their cars better, more intuitive, and cutting edge for customers each and every year. But with touchscreens and voice commands already so prevalent, what could BMW seek out next to integrate into their cars?

As it turns out, holograms may be the next “big thing” in BMW technology.  They’re calling it HoloActive Touch. It’s a visual interface for cars that allows you to use hand gestures and motions to perform various actions inside the c0ar.

So, let’s say they add hologram tech to a car in the BMW i-series. The system projects holographic control surfaces straight up from the center console, which the driver then interacts with. Since the driver won’t actually be touching anything physical, strategically placed cameras will track the hand motions in order to get things done. When a function gets activated, the system “pulses” as an indicator.

Thus far, there’s been no promises to add HoloActive Touch to the BMW i-series – or any series, for that matter. It’s an idea that BMW is toying with for now – although they do seem quite interested in showing it off at CES 2017. After all, the marque does have AirTouch currently in the BMW 7 and 5 series.

At the same time, BMW isn’t one to make idle promises. When they get into their tech, they go all out and look for ways to make it work seamlessly. Innovation is the key, and BMW is certainly at the forefront. Still, the world will have to wait until CES 2017 to see if BMW has really brought an element of science fiction to life.