With the Intelligent Vehicle Experience Car demonstrator Continental shows what external communication between car and driver could look like in a software-defined vehicle (SDV) in the next three to five years.
Among other things, the focus is on intuitive, contactless access to the vehicle using biometrics. This means that the car recognises the user even before they get in, interprets facial and movement characteristics and derives actions from this, such as opening and starting the vehicle or proactively opening the tailgate in the supermarket car park. It is also crucial that people who are not authorised to use the vehicle and may approach it with criminal intent are also identified. In this case, the doors remain locked and a warning is activated.
The show car demonstrates the following use cases, among others: Approach Detection (the car recognises approaching persons), User Identification (the car identifies authorised persons using facial recognition), Intention Recognition (the car recognises the intention of an approaching person, for example by interpreting a hand movement near the door) and Intuitive Trunk Access (the boot opens automatically when an authorised person looks in the direction of the tailgate for a certain amount of time, for example). In the first generation of this innovation, the opening impulse is still triggered by a foot movement in the direction of the rear bumper).
For these functions, Continental combines artificially intelligent algorithms and vehicle sensors that are already available in the vehicle for various applications. For example, 360-degree cameras, which are used for a parking assistant, can also be used together with proven ultra-wideband radar sensors to identify people. Continental’s smart device-based access system CoSmA, which has already gone into series production with various premium manufacturers, provides the basis for this innovative interaction.
The demonstrator shown at CES 2025 utilises practical and, in some cases, already tried-and-tested technology that Continental is continuously developing to meet new user requirements and expectations. However, it also meets specific challenges such as the protection of personal data and the optimised management of energy consumption, for example to avoid draining the batteries. The connection to a secure cloud makes it possible to wirelessly integrate new intelligent functions into the vehicle „over the air“ throughout its entire life cycle. (jr)
