Lexus/Toyota 2032 Auto-Pilot Model HMI Cockpit Design Concept
Automotive cockpit HMI (Human Machine Interface) has been drastically evolving with digital mediums, culture, and trends of how people are living. I have created this project to approach this challenging, yet very interesting problem solving.
This is a solution for one of three car model segments, Future model, which enables auto-pilot driving, with the possible release in 2032 with the technology available by then.
Instrument Cluster
Combined UX Screen
Having multiple UX screens is no longer good use case by this time. A new challenge is how driving and entertainment info can coexist and organized nicely with the two different driving mode of manual-pilot and auto-pilot.
Take Care of Your Fear
Leaving hands off of a steering wheel is a first thing we have to overcome our fear of being in an auto-pilot car.
What can a HMI design help to ease such psycological notion and make us feel safer?
Make sensors a virtual HUD robot and visible
The reason why we are worried about an auto-pilot car is because we don’t see what’s going on while the car is driving by itself for us - whether it is really going to stop or slow down to avoid a collision. There is no trust there yet with the technology.
To build the trust, why can’t we make the sensors visible graphically surrounding our car? This could be generated with a HUD technology in the future.
Moreover, if the HUD is a virtual robot and notifying the passengers with some animation and voiceover when the sensor caught some danger ahead, that could be even more visually effective, fun and entertaining.
A variety of robots you can choose and upload
A car manufacture has its own robot HUD by default, but also third-party companies could join and build their own robots to sell as an external app.
Each robot can have an unique animation and voiceover for the same censoring cue for this system. Not only this would be fun to watch and reduce your fear significantly, but also each robot could add its special trait, such as a personal medical robot could track your health condition while it’s driving, or contact your doctor right away if something happens on you or your family, etc.
“Don’t worry. It’s taken cared.” by pepper.
HUD robots connect and talk with other bots.
A situation such as an 4-way stop intersection or a cross walk by a pedestrian where drivers usually check who takes a right way can happen to an auto pilot car.
The existing sensors of an auto-pilot car will be able to handle it in the future. The HUD robot plays the part to visually signal passengers as well as other cars to communicate and solve the situation.