Imagine how much better rush hour would be if only you could kick back in the driver's seat and watch TV while your car did the driving. Two corporate giants say they'll make it happen.
In a concept car unveiled Monday, Sweden's Volvo Cars and Ericsson communications technologies exhibited a jointly-produced system for streaming video to dash-mounted screens during a highway drive.Self-driving cars are the way of the future, many tech pundits have declared.
Since 2012, Google has experimented with self-driving cars on closed tracks. German freight liner Daimler tested the first autonomous vehicle on U.S. public roads in 2015 and Google followed soon after. An Audi SUV drove itself cross country, and Tesla released refined autopilot software for its electric cars. Ford plans its first tests for 2016.
But amid all the hubbub of advancement, no developer has stepped in to answer the important question of what ex-drivers will do with all the idle time afforded by their digital chauffer.
"If you want to watch the latest episode of your favorite series, the car will know how long the journey needs to take and can optimize the route and driving control accordingly," said Anders Tylman, general manager of the Volvo Monitoring and Concept Car Center, in a press release. "With autonomous drive it is no longer just a question of getting from A to B quickly—it's about the experience you with to have in the car—how you wish to spend the time you are saving."
"If you want to watch the latest episode of your favorite series, the car will know how long the journey needs to take and can optimize the route and driving control accordingly," said Anders Tylman, general manager of the Volvo Monitoring and Concept Car Center, in a press release. "With autonomous drive it is no longer just a question of getting from A to B quickly—it's about the experience you with to have in the car—how you wish to spend the time you are saving."
A promotional video release in conjunction with the concept unveiling shows a driver switch on the Volvo autopilot. His seat slides back, he crosses his legs in relaxation and a wide screen flips out of the passenger dashboard.
Highway video streaming will require high-bandwidth coverage beyond densely populated areas. Ericsson said it aimed to develop an interruption-free experience with software that would look ahead to network conditions along a chosen route and "intelligently buffer" content along the way.
No word yet on when the vehicle may hit markets.
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