Geneva Motor Show: The self-driving Rinspeed “Etos” concept car – Automated driving with a great fun factor.
The “Ʃtos” by Swiss automobile manufacturer and tuning designer rinspeed celebrates its European premiere at the Geneva Motor Show, March 3 to 13, 2016.
How much human component should, must or may there be in a machine? At the 2016 edition of Geneva Motor Show, the Swiss powerhouse of ideas Rinspeed approaches the mega topic of “self- driving cars” primarily from the perspective of the driver and the occupants, the human component. Rinspeed approaches the mega topic of “self- driving cars” primarily from the perspective of the driver and the occupants, the human component.
Everyone involved realizes that answering this question requires merging expectations, tolerances and acceptance. There are countless unsettled issues, for example, the morals and ethics of a machine, that need to be resolved. In addition, the means for the technical realization also must be developed.
The technical highlight in the interior of the “Etos” is no doubt the folding and retracting steering wheel from ZF TRW. As if by magic, it disappears in the dashboard in a few seconds. This creates lots of space in front the driver.
The position of the two curved 21.5-inch Ultra HD widescreen monitors is individually adjustable to provide an even better view of the displayed contents. A matching fit is provided by the unrivaled infotainment experience that the innovative Harman Connected Car technologies conjure up in the vehicle. Just like a personal assistant, the system thinks along, is courteous, anticipates needs and on top of that provides perfect entertainment, connectivity and maximum safety.
Destinations, route selection, tourist attractions, refueling, parking, making phone calls, music, videos or personal preferences – with every mile the “Etos” gets to know the appointments, wishes and needs of the occupants better and in a flash proactively offers up the particular fitting selection options. This drastically reduces the number of distracting manual entries – despite significantly expanded functions. Should it nonetheless be necessary to enter a command, the “Etos” responds promptly to voice commands, gestures, touch input, controller or the push of a button.
A total of eight HD exterior cameras visually monitor the vehicle surroundings completely. This makes impressive 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. People and objects in the entire vehicle surroundings are detected and tracked automatically. If they represent an accident hazard, the driver receives an appropriate warning. 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 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. Speaking of seeing: The gaze-tracking system of the “Ʃtos” permanently monitors the driver’s eye movements and as a result, the vehicle not only knows what the driver has seen, but also what he has failed to see. This allows custom tailoring the displayed warnings and notifications. For precisely this reason, the electronic exterior mirrors only display an image when the driver consciously checks them.
The “Ʃtos” is fitted with an on-board DJI drone complete with landing platform in the rear. An armada of 12,000 individually controlled LEDs can transform this platform into an electronic message board or a visual dancefloor. This technical marvel was designed by Swiss specialist Weidplas, which is also behind the rear window that has been converted into a third brake light and the brilliant seat inlays. The drone itself is capable of providing some very useful services. For example, it can quickly pick up a bouquet of flowers for the significant other ordered on the way home. And the little flyer is a lot of fun when it acts like a UFO, shooting a selfie of the ride in the “Ʃtos” on your local favorite route and streaming it live to friends.
The elegantly and futuristically styled “Ʃtos” – on the technical basis of the BMW i8 – is a sustainable but also a fast racer. The deep black and shiny 20-inch Borbet GTX aluminum rims leave no doubt about that. They give the body an imposing visual width and provide perfect handling on the track. To make the athlete as light as possible, Corning manufactures the glass BMW i8 – is a sustainable but also a fast racer. The deep black and shiny 20-inch Borbet GTX aluminum rims leave no doubt about that. They give the body an imposing visual width and provide perfect handling on the track. To make the athlete as light as possible, Corning manufactures the glass roof and the “drone pad” in the rear from especially strong, lightweight and thinGorilla glass, the same kind used in smartphones. The aluminum front structure and the carbon fiber passenger cell are joined together with ultra-high-modulus adhesive from Sika.
