It comes with a friendly wink, the concept car “i Vision Dee” that BMW is bringing to this year’s CES. Dee stands for “Digital Emotional Experience” and that’s what the i Vision Dee is all about. As one of three concept vehicles, it is intended to lead to the “New Class”. The BMW Group sees its future as electric, circular and digital. Dee is meant to represent the latter aspect of this triad.
The interface between man and machine appeals to as many senses as possible – the concept vehicle works with sounds, haptically appealing shy-tech surfaces and visual effects. Displays as a dashboard, beamers radiating sideways for the side windows and the core: a full-surface head-up display (HUD) that shows the windscreen. With the introduction of the new class, BMW also wants to bring the full-surface HUD to production vehicles from 2025. Instead of a projector above the instrument cluster, a display strip runs along the entire lower edge of the windscreen.
When the black-out side windows hide the outside world and all displays are active, the i Vision Dee immerses you in a complete art world. The so-called mixed reality slider should ensure that he can control the depth of the experience. In five stages, it leads from an almost analog driving experience through augmented reality stages to virtual reality.
E-Ink, now colorful
But the outer skin of the Dee is also paved with display technology. To continue the success of the black and white e-ink covered iX Flow at the last CES, the Dee is also paved with a mosaic of 240 e-ink tiles. With the latest generation of colored e-ink foils, different color effects and patterns can now be displayed on the body. Each of the tiles has to be controlled individually and shows up to 32 colors.
The e-ink dress comes from the Munich development center and is wired and soldered by hand there in the best maker tradition. The e-ink tiles are adapted to the body parts using a specially developed laser cutting process and are then glued. Nothing for production vehicles – but it should definitely be an eye-catcher. And the color changing elements can certainly be used for the interior or smaller animation areas outdoors.
Spoiled for choice: Even with “only” 32 colors, you can conjure up an infinite number of color patterns with the Dee.
The designers use the animatable outer skin to give the vehicle a human touch on the outside as well. In combination with the headlights, the vehicle can show emotions to the outside – the animated film “Cars” says hello: mid-range sedan instead of monster SUV, chameleon color instead of matt gray, animations and entertainment instead of speed rush. The charm offensive has succeeded. The full-surface HUD is the real technical highlight of the BMW i Vision Dee – its e-ink outfit should steal the show.
(sha)
