FX.co ★ Mobile office and fitness tracker: Self-Driving-Car Gadgets

Toyota

At the end of last year, visitors of the Tokyo Motor Show were delighted with the Japanese car for 250 thousand rubles, which can easily be converted into a small mobile tent. Representatives of Toyota evaluated the development prospects and presented a concept called e-Palette at CES-2018. a lot of large companies including Amazon, Uber and even Pizza Hut have already committed themselves as partners in this project.

The main feature of the e-Palette is the ability to change bodies and the length of the wheelbase. This development will bring innovation to the business. The e-Palette can be a mobile office, a store and even a hotel in plans.The firm is aiming to have a version running by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Hyundai

The company presented a new hydrogen crossover Hyundai Nexo at the gadget exhibition. Perhaps this is the beginning of a new epic car wars, as Toyota has a new rival for the high-potential market of hydro cars. Some experts predict that it is hydrogen, not electricity, that can replace the traditional gasoline in the future. Hyundai Nexo is equipped with three hydrogen tanks stored below the rear floor of the vehicle. Their capacity is 6.35 kilograms of fuel. The driving range is up to 595 km.

As part of efforts to realize its vision of 'Freedom in Mobility', Hyundai today announced a strategic partnership with Aurora Innovation, a renowned autonomous-driving startup, to bring Level 4 autonomous driving Hyundai vehicles to market by 2021. The two parties have agreed to begin their pilot tests with the newest fuel-cell SUV, NEXO. "We understand that the autonomous transport is the future, and relevant technologies need to be tested in real conditions, which will ensure their rapid, safe and scalable deployment," said Dr. Woong-chul Yang.

KIA

KIA showed a new all-electric SUV – Niro EV Concept. Among the advantages there are an electric motor and a great number of modern functions. Aside from bringing the concept, Kia will also showcase the world's first in-car 5G connection, along with new driver assistance tech. The Niro EV will be able to communicate with other machines, the owner's apartment. The car is also fitted with an Active Pedestrian Warning System.

The claimed range of the Niro EV is less than 400 kilometers. Koreans try not to focus attention on these data, as in these times this is not enough. But the representatives are proud of the salon with a new information complex. The owner of the car will be able to turn it to the touch control. Another feature is the function of recognizing voices and faces. The car is able to independently determine who sits behind the wheel or in the passenger seats, as well as automatically adjust the seats and turn on radio.

Byton

It's no wonder if you have not heard about this company. This is a new Chinese start-up, but it has a good potential. The brand was founded by Carsten Bridefeld, who developed the BMW i8, and Daniel Kirchhert, who led Infiniti concern in China. This startup started from this electric crossover, which has a giant display in the center of the cabin, measuring 49 inches. It displays a lot of information, such as drivers and passengers' characteristics, their photos from social networks, video from cameras and much more.

The creators of the car plan to replace the traditional ignition keys with an automatic system, in which the crossover with the help of cameras will recognize the owner, open the doors to him and start the engine. It is also planned to use 5G networks and autopilot. The built-in fitness tracker will closely monitor the weight of the owner and give recommendations, for example, to park the car a couple of kilometers to the office and walk on foot.

Harman

The company, which which was acquired by Samsung early last year, brought to the exhibition in Las Vegas the so-called Digital Cockpit panel. The novelty was shown inside the Maserati. But the creators claim that this is not the main thing, as it is easily customized for any salon. Digital Cockpit allows the driver and the passenger to perform different tasks on the panel at the same time, for example, while one adjusts navigation charts, the second checks its social networks or watches movies.

This idea is not new, but the creators relied on the "quantum dots" (QLED Auto), from which the display was made. Thanks to this technology, an ideal color code is transmitted to the display. The technology has already been used for monitors and televisions, but for cars it will be applied for the first time.