Autószalon és virtuális valóság

A virtuálisvalóság-technológiák elterjednek az autóiparban és minden bizonnyal az intelligens közlekedési rendszerekben is.

Buying a new car is one of the biggest purchases most people make. But how can you be sure that the car you order will live up to your expectations? European and Asian researchers are using immersive virtual reality and emotional design to offer a solution. Most people do not buy cars on a whim and most do not want just a standard model. The customer’s choices will not be based on functionality alone – if that were the case we would all drive the most fuel-efficient vehicles that can get us from A to B as cheaply, safely and comfortably as possible. Design also plays a major role, attracting people to a certain model based on tastes and feelings alone. However, customers also want more customisation options, from different shades of colours down to engine configurations and internal finishes. The researchers behind the EU-funded CATER project believe they have developed a better way to efficiently present customisation options to customers and help them decide, overcoming the constraints of dealers’ catalogues and the often bland vehicle configuration systems on automakers’ websites. “By giving people the chance to immerse themselves in the car in 3D virtual reality, they can better understand what the options are, how they look and will feel more confident about making a purchase,” explains Manfred Dangelmaier, the coordinator of the project. Instead of flicking through catalogues or having a dealer click through options on a computer, potential car buyers visiting dealerships fitted with CATER’s immersive vehicle ‘configurator’ would be able to visualise all the vehicle options and variations in high-resolution 3D, presented on a television, a large wall display or even in a virtual reality cave. In the past, the high cost of VR systems has kept dealers from using the technology, but the CATER project has proven that it can be set up cost effectively.

Komment: A virtuális valóság technológiák lassanként tényleg megjelennek a mindennapjainkban. A CATER rendszer kifejlesztése már egyértelműen egy gyakorlat orientált innovációs projekt. Némileg félrevezető, hogy a hasznosítást csak egy az autószalonban tudják elképzelni a kutatók. Egyáltalán nem biztos ugyanis, hogy szükség lesz autószalonra, ha a CATER-hez hasonló alkalmazások elterjednek.

Forrás: cordis.europa.eu