OnStar Car Hero Game Teaches Driving Habits

The 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge will be met by GM's OnStar with the Car Hero game, a driving solution for teens which comes in the shape of a game. The Hero is in fact a blue sky design featuring a vehicle and whose gaming environment help teen have better driving habits and, says OnStar, help reduce the risk of distracted driving.

Car Hero is based on an autonomous vehicle control system (AVCS) and provides constant feedback and correction, while at the same making the driver control the vehicle better and be more aware.

"Imagine a game which can actually teach a beginner to drive or challenge the experienced… whether you’re a lowbie or a legend, Car Hero takes “getting there” to a whole new level while minimizing external distractions," says OnStar.

The Hero works like this: once a destination is entered into the navigation application on the smart phone, the car takes over. The game allows the user to “play along” and try to match the skill level of the system and, as the user advances, Car Hero “unlocks” vehicle control. The game continues until the autonomous system is overridden and the use is in control.

"This is where things get interesting,” Steve Anderson, GM's Los Angeles Advanced Design Studio design manager says in a release. “As the gamer demonstrates skill and mastery, the vehicle's ‘transmorphable’ architecture creates an increasingly challenging driving experience."

“Car Hero's configuration rewards your skills by gradually changing from a four, to three, to the ultimate challenge, a single-wheeled vehicle."

As said, the Hero will enter the Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge. Whether it will win or not, we will find out on Thursday.