Photo: USPTO via Venture Beat
Moving around in a car with no driver might have one of two consequences. For some, the experience might prove frightening, at least until evolution will wire the human brain in such a way that it finds self-driving cars normal. For others, it will be plain boring, but there’s nothing evolution can do for them.
Luckily, Apple can do something. Actually, it is already doing something. As per Venture Beat, the company has filed a patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that would allow for the integration of virtual reality in cars, including in self-driving vehicles.
Officially, the technology is described as a tool to mitigate motion sickness in passengers. But the way in which the system is supposed to work will make it a perfect solution for those long commutes in a car with no driver.
Some would argue boredom in such circumstances might very well be fought with the help on in-car screens on which the occupants to play whatever they desire, and at the same time still be aware of what’s going on outside.
But Apple’s tech is meant not only to playback videos and such, but also change the interior of the car. In a future where autonomous vehicles are seen to have no windows, Apple plans to use the VR system to display various surroundings both inside and outside of the car.
It is not so far-fetched that in the not so distant future we might all be living in Asimov’s Caves of Steel, but until Apple, it’s doubtful anybody really thought of making cars with no windows.
A more suited application for this technology might be on the Hyperloop. Designed to speed its way through various tunnels, Hyperloop offers little in terms of scenery, so projecting say scenes from Jurassic Park might be just the right idea.
Officially, the technology is described as a tool to mitigate motion sickness in passengers. But the way in which the system is supposed to work will make it a perfect solution for those long commutes in a car with no driver.
Some would argue boredom in such circumstances might very well be fought with the help on in-car screens on which the occupants to play whatever they desire, and at the same time still be aware of what’s going on outside.
But Apple’s tech is meant not only to playback videos and such, but also change the interior of the car. In a future where autonomous vehicles are seen to have no windows, Apple plans to use the VR system to display various surroundings both inside and outside of the car.
It is not so far-fetched that in the not so distant future we might all be living in Asimov’s Caves of Steel, but until Apple, it’s doubtful anybody really thought of making cars with no windows.
A more suited application for this technology might be on the Hyperloop. Designed to speed its way through various tunnels, Hyperloop offers little in terms of scenery, so projecting say scenes from Jurassic Park might be just the right idea.
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