BMW wants more digital experiences

BMW wants more digital experiences

In Las Vegas, the BMW Group is providing a glimpse into the future through demonstrations of innovative development projects. Visitors can independently move a BMW iX remotely through the “Silver Lot” on the exhibition grounds, discover the potential of augmented reality glasses while driving as a passenger and experience new capabilities of the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant enabled by generative AI, which becomes the ultimate vehicle expert with the help of the Alexa Large Language Model (LLM). “BMW stands for both: the Ultimate Driving Machine plus the Ultimate Digital Experience,” says Frank Weber, Board Member for Development at the BMW Group. "At CES we are showing more content, more personalization, more gaming. Our powerful, self-developed BMW Operating System works behind it. And of course we are looking to the future: with perfectly integrated augmented reality and strong, reliable artificial intelligence in human-machine interaction."

At CES, the BMW Group is showing for the first time how augmented reality (AR) glasses will enrich the driving experience in the future. Visitors can test the possible uses of AR glasses while driving through Las Vegas. Through the glasses you can see how navigation and hazard information, entertainment content, information about charging stations and visualizations to support parking processes are perfectly embedded into the real environment by the “XREAL Air 2”. AR and mixed reality (MR) devices will become increasingly popular in the coming years as technology advances and entry-level models become more accessible. In the future, AR and MR devices can offer drivers and passengers enhanced information and experiences to complement the displays installed in the vehicle. “We are excited about the prospect of being able to digitally enhance the real world by combining vehicle and AR technology in the future,” says Peng Jin, co-founder of XREAL, “and this could lead to completely new experiences when traveling by car and open up new potential for AR technology.” In the past, the BMW Group has successfully pioneered digital technologies such as vehicle access based on the BMW Digital Key and promoted the standardization of such innovations in the industry. When it comes to AR/MR, the company is open to collaborating with other partners. The aim here is to achieve an industry standard for networking XR devices from the CE industry with the vehicle.