The future (and present) of connectivity and autonomous driving

One of the early outcomes from the year-old alliance between Samsung and its new subsidiary HARMAN has been the HARMAN Digital Cockpit Platform, along with two other innovations.

The scalable Digital Cockpit platform brings a new generation of communication and ergonomics inside vehicles, allowing drivers to focus on the road ahead while intuitively and safely interacting with their in-car technology.

The Digital Cockpit is one of three innovations which were unveiled at CES 2018 in Las Vegas. The other two are a telematics solution (including an industry first automotive-grade 5G-ready connectivity solution); and an ecosystem of partners and solutions to further build out the Samsung open autonomous platform.

According to the companies each new solution was made possible through the alliance that leverages Samsung’s global scale, R&D capabilities in mobile/ TV/ semiconductors and distribution channels and HARMAN’s connected car heritage, relationships, market knowledge and growing community of innovation partners. Both companies are also making global investments in startups to help OEMs meet growing consumer demand for in-vehicle technology through scalable solutions that enhance the user experience for every vehicle segment. “

Together with Samsung we have increased innovation speed through scale, resources and competencies to help automakers focus on the car’s evolution from device-centric to experiencecentric,” said Dinesh Paliwal, HARMAN President and CEO. “HARMAN has the heritage and expertise in automotive, and collectively HARMAN and Samsung harness our best technologies and global scale to accelerate how we better serve the needs of automakers in this rapidly evolving automotive market.” Focused on a future generation of shared mobility, the premium Digital Cockpit personalizes occupant experiences, so drivers and passengers feel the car is theirs even if they don’t own it. By connecting through the driver or passenger’s phone the system can automatically access subscription services associated with user profiles, while Bixby offers intelligent personal assistance to help occupants complete tasks by voice, touch, gesture and context-based triggers.

The Digital Cockpit is scalable for every automotive segment, offering future proof and safety focused features within a developer-friendly open ecosystem. A greater IoT ecosystem via cloud technology in the entry-level segment, as well as mid/highlevel configurations, not only improves connectivity, but helps lower costs and overall vehicle weight.

In a premium configuration, the Digital Cockpit weaves together a driver’s entire connected lifestyle across the Internet of Things. Through a multi-display layout that leverages HARMAN’s Ignite Platform, the in-car user experience can be personalized for the driver and passenger via services such as virtual personal assistants, portable profiles, augmented reality and more. This also allows for the Android OS to be integrated on four displays – a first for the industry.

5G Automotive Telematics

HARMAN and Samsung are providing one of the industry’s first 5G-ready automotive solution and multi-band conformal antenna to enable secure, fast and reliable data communications. The solution consists of a telematics control unit with a modular design accommodating a network access device (NAD) supporting LTE CAT 16 connectivity today and 5G in the future leveraging the same hardware design. 5G represents a paradigm shift in the future of mobility. In the automotive sector, 5G delivers safety-enhancing C-V2X capability that is an essential enabler for autonomous transportation. 5G boosts speeds up to 100X faster than current 4G LTE standards to provide incredibly fast high-resolution streaming, immersive virtual and augmented reality features and seamless cloud-based applications in fast-moving cars. Ultra-reliable and with low-latency response times of just 1ms, 5G enables C-V2X and cloud-based computing and storage for the next generation of autonomous vehicles. HARMAN has announced that a leading European automaker will be the first customer for this solution.

Advanced Driving Solutions

Developed in close collaboration with HARMAN, Samsung has introduced its new DRVLINE platform, an open and modular platform for autonomous driving designed to scale from Level 3 automation up to Levels 4 and 5. The two companies will continue to focus on engineering, high-performance computing, sensor technologies, algorithms, artificial intelligence, and cloud and connectivity solutions that are scalable and capable of lowerlevel autonomy through to Level 5. The first HARMAN/Samsung-developed ADAS product will be a forward-facing camera featuring lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, collision warning and pedestrian warning algorithms. The new system combines Samsung’s heritage in camera technology with HARMAN’s ADAS 360 solution that blends machine learning and data science with augmented reality to create a self-learning virtual co-passenger to ensure the connected driving experience is personalized and safe. The new system will begin shipping in 2018, according to the companies.

Vehicle-independent personalization

The sharing economy shows no sign of slowing down, and car ownership trends are expected to continue shifting in the industrialized world. At the same time consumers expect seamless connectivity and in-vehicle personalization. These can be sacrificed with today’s ride sharing services, where personalization options are often dictated by owner rather than passenger preferences. In response to these trends HARMAN International has introduced Configurable Entertainment and Moodscape, described as “the latest experience-centric lifestyle automotive solutions offering personalized entertainment, comfort and convenience for passengers”. Developed on the company’s new HARMAN AudioworX platform, these new products deliver intelligently tailored invehicle experiences, ushering in a new era of personalization for shared mobility and autonomous vehicles. “When it comes to their vehicles, today’s consumers are all about the experience and are less concerned about the technology behind it. At HARMAN, we are constantly focused on innovating with the passenger in mind, integrating emerging technology with software-driven audio to provide the effortless, responsive experiences consumers have come to expect,” said Michael Mauser, President, Lifestyle Audio for HARMAN. “Moodscape and Configurable Entertainment are perfect examples of how we’re re-inventing what is possible in the vehicle today, as well as for the autonomous future.”

Configurable Entertainment

Targeted to shared fleet organizations like Uber and Lyft, HARMAN’s proprietary, software-based Configurable Entertainment allows shared mobility providers to offer multiple in-car brand and entertainment experiences through a single set of in-vehicle hardware. This puts the power of personalization into the hands of ride-share passengers, making every ride an extension of their lifestyle. With Configurable Entertainment, automakers can further differentiate from competitors and increase overall customer satisfaction by offering consumers a choice of in-vehicle audio brand experiences. For example, one user can select in-vehicle gaming or a heart-pounding concert experience through JBL audio for their ride; while the next passenger – in the same vehicle – can choose a completely different experience, such as watching a movie or enjoying a more intimate music performance with the refined sound of Harman Kardon to enhance their trip.

Moodscape

Automakers are placing an increasing emphasis on the vehicle interior as a place for reflection and focus in response to growing consumer interest in wellness and lifestyle optimization. In step with this trend, HARMAN’s Moodscape uses moodbased features to redefine comfort and entertainment in the daily commute. Moodscape intuitively adjusts the in-cabin audio experience, delivering music with a mood-based EQ and sound levels to help passengers prepare for whatever is next in their day.

Key features of Moodscape include:

• Music Motivator synchronizes with calendars, identifies GPS routes and analyzes available biometric feedback to build and deliver an audio experience based on passengers’ whereabouts, schedule and energy level
• Personalized Audio Alerts: heighten attention to navigation, traffic and weather incidents through directional audio, allowing drivers to keep their eyes on the road and respond more quickly to prompts
• HARMAN QLED MoodRoof replaces the traditional moon roof with a choice of immersive visual landscapes

combined with environmental sounds brought to life by the application.

Harman digital dashboard.

Harman digital dashboard.