AUDIO MOBIL ignites a firework of innovation at IZB 2018

As part of the IZB – Volkswagen’s international suppliers’ fair – AUDIO MOBIL will present completely new human-machine interfaces from October 16 to 18, 2018. Bundled in a fully functional prototype, AUDIO MOBIL showcases the iCS, an operating concept of tomorrow, and Personal Audio, a platform for in-car communication and listening zone separation.

Haptic / Optical Operating Concept

The iCS – the interactive communication steering wheel – represents the essence of seven years of fundamental research and describes a steering wheel concept of the future, in which all necessary input and output sources are summarized and available for the driver.

Whether navigation, climate control, vehicle status overview, or radio operation—these, along with essential features such as light control, speed display, and the horn, can all be operated via the iCS. Safety has also been taken into account: with a full-size airbag, the operating concept is suitable for all vehicle types.

The prototype is fully operational and has already been extensively tested in real-world conditions. Numerous subject studies provided enthusiastic feedback.

Acoustic HMI

“Acoustic HMI involves the implementation of individual audio zones in a vehicle. Completely independent of one another, each passenger has an active headrest with speakers. These are controlled by amplifier electronics that allow each headrest to reproduce acoustic signals individually,” explains CEO Thomas Stottan.

The system is designed so that each seat has a Bluetooth interface through which the respective passenger can connect to their headrest or zone. “This results in four individual acoustic areas that can be controlled independently by each passenger,” Stottan further explains the “Active Zone Separation®” system developed in his company.

“Supplementary applications include dedicated voice control for each seat in the vehicle and personalized information, such as navigation info for the driver and simultaneous phone calls for the passenger. The arrangement of the speakers leads to a significant improvement in intelligibility and thus to increased trust during acoustic interaction,” Stottan says, confident of the many advantages of this new HMI interface.