Page 6 - Autonomous Vehicle Engineering (January 2020)

UX/HMI

Superior Interiors

by Bill Visnic

New-mobility thinking is changing how vehicle interiors will
work for everyone.

Future-vehicle interior renderings have always emerging trends include larger and more user-friendly
stoked our imaginations for what may be possible screen-based human-machine interfaces (HMI),
in the cabin environment. Automated vehicle (AV) reconfigurable seating and individual-focused cockpit
developments, including high-function driver assis- “environments”. There are also safety- and health-pro-
tance features and mobility as a service (MaaS), are moting features ready to be deployed, such as biomed-
bringing new dimensions to those possibilities. ical monitoring. This can provide basic health metrics,
Ironically, while near-term prospects for private- but also monitor a driver’s state of attention or inebri-
ly-owned autonomous (SAE Level 4) AVs have hit ation to determine fitness to operate the vehicle at
the hype curve’s downward slope, research and various levels of automated driver-assist functionality.
development into how passengers will interact with Jeff Stout, executive director, Global Innovation at
new-mobility technology promises interior designs Yanfeng Automotive Interiors, said the company’s 2018
and features that will likely be on the market long XiM20 show vehicle serves as an incubator for cabin
before most consumers experience self-driving cars. innovations, and could be used for an SAE Level 5 AV.
Interior-systems suppliers, and AV technology “That (XiM20) was our best execution or vision of
innovators such as Waymo, insist designs and features what we think a full Level-5 autonomous experience
envisioned for AV cabins are desirable for any vehicle. could be, introducing the idea of ‘enclosure’ versus
According to interior-design experts, the top ‘exposure,’” Stout said. Think of a restaurant that offers

Faurecia

Faurecia’s Cockpit of the Future signals many cabin design and technology innovations that will be in production long
before highly automated vehicles become common.

4 January 2020 AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ENGINEERING