During CES in Las Vegas, Rinspeed will show its teched-out hybrid sports car “Σtos,” a BMW i8 with some very interesting connected add-ons, including a drone of its own. The vehicle will be on display at the Hard Rock Hotel.
The “Σtos” is fitted with an on-board DJI drone complete with landing platform in the rear that can stop to pick up flowers or dinner to go. The Drone can also take selfies to stream to friends or colleagues.
The design looks “self-driving cars” from the perspective of the driver and the human passengers with folding and retracting steering wheel from ZF TRW. It has adjustable curved 21.5-inch Ultra HD widescreen monitors.
The infotainment system uses Harman Connected Car features to be an anticipating virtual assistant for destinations, routes, attractions, gas, parking, making phone calls, music, videos or personal preferences. “Σtos” can also respond to voice commands, gestures, touch input, controller or the push of a button.
Eight HD exterior cameras visually monitors offer 180-degree panoramic views in front of the vehicle and behind possible and provides virtual “exterior mirrors” with an expanded field of vision that has no blind spots.
In tricky situations such as in parking garages, the so-called “Curb View” is activated automatically. It offers a “direct” view of the front wheels and thus helps prevent unwanted contact with curbs or other obstacles. The vehicle navigation also offers entirely new detail views. In parking garages, it directs drivers directly to a previously reserved parking space.
The so-called ‘E-Horizon’ provides innovative safety and convenience features such as precise warnings of wrong-way drivers or simply gliding along smoothly in sync with the phased traffic lights.
The gaze-tracking system of the “Σtos” permanently monitors the driver’s eye movements to monitor what the driver sees and doesn’t see. The electronic exterior mirrors only display an image when the driver consciously checks them.
Other features are:
- The car detects cellular data connections and lets the passengers know how long they can expect to make phone or video calls without interruption.
- Corning manufactures the glass roof and the “drone pad” in the rear from especially strong, lightweight and thin Gorilla glass, the same kind used in smartphones.
- The highly advanced octagonal flat antennas from Vites integrated into the glass roof supply data connections.
- Inrix Company shows how a parking space in the city center can be located quickly by analyzing real-time data.
- NXP provides automatic payment for parking via NFC, wireless cell phone charging, smart access solutions and keyless remotes for unlocking, starting and customizing the vehicle.
- SIX, shows an “on the go” payment system for secure transactions in the “Σtos.” Even smaller amounts such as tips can be paid by a small swiping gesture on the exterior mirror.
The Rinspeed “Σtos” celebrates its world premiere at the CES, January 5 to 8, 2016, as part of the exclusive HARMAN event in the Muse Hall of the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Its European premiere will be at the Geneva Motor Show starting March 1.