Picture this. You walk up to a self-driving electric car and it automatically recognizes you via face recognition. Then you enter and see four luxurious chairs, complete with their own speaker systems. You take a seat by your assigned color that flashes above your seat on a huge curved OLED screen.
Then the real fun begins.
Forged out of a partnership between LG and Adient, LG’s connected self-driving car feels like something out of Minority Report. LG says this webOS-powered concept may not hit the market until 2030, but it was a thrill to check out the inside of this futuristic vehicle.
The ultimate control
Right at your seat there’s a rotating controller, complete with voice input and a touchscreen for adjusting your seat any way you want (including leaning all the way back.)
There's also a tablet that swings up from the floor, complete with a privacy display so other passengers won’t see what you’re doing.
In front of you — above the heads of the two passengers sitting across the way — is a large OLED screen that lets you pass the time on your way to your destination in several ways.
Very personal entertainment
You can fire up music that only you can hear via an 8-speaker sound system that’s built into the curved top of the seats. You can also watch movies or TV shows and even pick up right where you left off on your favorite show if you were viewing it at home. This is thanks to LG's AI and cloud prowess.
What if the person next to you doesn’t want to watch what you do? You can digitally split the OLED screen in two.
Rolling snack shop (and dry cleaners)
If you’re feeling a bit thirsty, you can just touch a sensor to reveal a rolling snack cart that emerges from between the seats. And if you decide to grab a soda can, the motion sensors in the vehicle will know it and automatically charge your payment card you used to book the ride. (If you decide to put it back, the payment is put back on your card.)
There’s even a roll-out dry cleaner of sorts on board, in case you want to freshen your blazer or other garment on the way to your next meeting. You just hang it up and it goes to work.
Um, what about the road?
I know what you’re thinking. Can you even see the road ahead of you? Yes, via an augmented reality view you can activate on the OLED screen. This view can also show any traffic information.
Outlook
Now, a lot needs to happen between 2020 and 2030 for LG’s connected self-driving car concept to become a reality. But given all the fun distractions inside this vehicle I feel like I would be a little less nervous about how I get from point A to point B. And maybe even chill about it.
Be sure to check out our CES 2020 hub for the latest news and hands-on impressions out of Las Vegas.
