BMW introduced one of its newest concepts at CES in Las Vegas last weekend to give consumers a chance to see what’s next for their advanced sports cars. The i Vision Future Interaction is based off of the i8 Concept Spyder that was shown in 2012 at the Beijing Motor Show, but without doors and with the addition of advanced tech.
The biggest improvement was centered on a new BMW technology called AirTouch, which allows the driver to control a car’s connectivity, entertainment, and navigation with gestures made by a flat hand. AirTouch utilizes a 21-inch panoramic screen and motion-recognition technology to allow gesture-based input. AirTouch also incorporates selection buttons on the steering wheel and the passenger door panel so there is no need to make clumsy moves to the center console.
The i Vision Future Interaction also shows off BMW’s three new driving modes, called Pure Drive, Assist, and Auto. Pure Drive gives the driver complete control, while Assist allows the driver to control the car but gives assistance when the system detects a collision or anything else that endangers the vehicle. Auto is a fully autonomous drive system that maneuvers the i Vision without any human input.
The Auto drive system and AirTouch are expected to become available in BMW production cars in a few years.