CES Premier: BMW Embraces Internet of Things & Smart Networking

Official Release: The BMW Group ranks among the leading vehicle manufacturers when it comes to networking driver, vehicle and environment. Today, apps already provide many different opportunities to make use of digital living environments from the interior of the vehicle. At the CES 2016 in Las Vegas, the BMW Group is providing an insight into the future of networked mobility. The Internet of Things is increasingly leaving the computer in the background and is instead connecting the things in our daily lives which can be equipped with new “smart” functions owing to the installed computing capacities. In order to make the vision of BMW Connected become a reality, a highly flexible service architecture is necessary – the Open Mobility Cloud. It links up networked systems such as the BMW i3 and the smart home with various personal end devices such as the smart phone or smart watch. This configuration enables the Open Mobility Cloud to provide automated control of complex processes which are in tune with the needs of users, without their having to be requested individually or started using an app. The Internet of Things is creating completely new, innovative functions which make daily life easier.
How networked systems simplify the routine of daily life.
At the CES 2016, the BMW Group is presenting a typical everyday situation in a Smart Home with a BMW i3 as the vehicle. The Smart Home and the BMW i3 together become constituent networked elements of the Internet of Things. All relevant information is therefore available at any time. The example of the daily routine is used to demonstrate how the areas of home/lifestyle and mobility are connected up using the Open Mobility Cloud. Functions can start up and run automatically at the right time and at the right place, and they can also influence each other at the same time.
The presentation in Las Vegas shows how the everyday routine already changes in the morning. An intelligent mirror is hanging in the hallway which links up the personal diary schedule and the different end devices of the user. Apart from the mirror image, the Mobility Mirror also displays information which is adjusted to the user’s current situation and their personal routines, appointments and tasks. The Mobility Mirror is networked with the Smart Home and through the Open Mobility Cloud also with the BMW i3. It therefore combines all the necessary information around the area of mobility and home/lifestyle in the Smart Home. Appropriate information for the entire day is displayed on the surface of the mirror: for example, before the start of a journey the charge status of the BMW i3, which has been charging up overnight in the garage. BMW Connected also enables the Mobility Agenda with appointments including available mobility options displayed on the basis of the current traffic situation (Real Time Traffic information). Personal preferences, appropriate recommended departure times and other relevant information for the trip such as weather are also provided. If errands that have to be run can be integrated in the selected route and the day’s commitments – such as shopping or taking the children to school – these are also integrated. Predictive information that is relevant to the user is made available and complex functions are accepted through BMW Connected. Networking through the Open Mobility Cloud responds to the needs of users and frees up time for them to concentrate on the issues that have prime importance for them.
The intelligence of the Open Mobility Cloud links up the right information and functions.
The user experiences the networking mechanisms as seamless not least because alongside the digital agenda, routine actions also trigger follow-on actions which take place for the convenience of the user at exactly the right time. The intelligence of the networked systems also identifies the step the user has to carry out next. At the CES, the BMW Group demonstrates a number of features including how the BMW i3 drives out of the garage entirely automatically as soon as the vehicle is required for the mobility option and the vehicle key has been picked up to leave.
The system also responds dynamically to the changing needs of the user. For example, if one of the other mobility options offered in the mirror – such as DriveNow, the motorcycle or public transport – is selected, departure and arrival times are adjusted automatically to match the relevant information for the means of transport and this information is then integrated in the personal Mobility Agenda. Networking with the Open Mobility Cloud controls these processes in such a way that the functions of daily life are carried out automatically, and exactly when they are necessary – triggered by the personal digital agenda or by typical actions which allow conclusions to be drawn about what the user is likely to want to do next.
Mobility Mirror – view of the daily routine at any time.
The Mobility Mirror is a mirror and a display medium with a high-resolution display. The personal calendar is displayed here in accordance with the current situation. It shows the available mobility options for a day including the relevant departure and arrival times. Data from the Smart Home is also visible at a glance. For example, it indicates whether the doors or windows are closed, when the light is being switched on and off automatically, and whether the alarm system is being activated. It also shows the current energy status of the house. As soon as the BMW i3 starts to move fully automatically, triggered by the Mobility Agenda because the key has been picked up, cameras installed in the vehicle transmit images by means of BMWConnected to the mirror. The user can then follow the parking procedure on the Mobility Mirror as necessary. The possible charging options for the BMW i3 are also displayed and automatically preselected on the basis of the most effective option in the light of personal appointments. The BMW i charging services offer a selection of three charge options: Smart Solar, Off-Peak Charging and Immediate Charging. Smart Solar optimises the charging procedure in relation to maximum use of self-generated and stored solar energy from the BMW i home storage system. Off-Peak Charging selects the charge times so that electricity is extracted at the most favourable tariff time. Immediate Charging recharges the batteries as quickly as possible. If there are no imminent appointments, the Mobility Mirror fulfils its primary function as an ordinary mirror and provides a brief overview of the most important data for the personal Mobility Agenda on the vehicle and the house. This reduction to the main content can naturally be obtained manually by the user at any time.
AirTouch is a new form of gesture control which is used in a similar form in the BMW i Vision Future Interaction and can also be integrated with the Mobility Mirror. The preferred charge option can be changed by a simple gesture, for example if the BMW i3 needs to be available and fully charged earlier than anticipated. Equally, an alternative mobility option can be selected if the preset option does not meet current needs. A sensor records the movements and converts them into interactions without any contact. Confirmation of the function is provided by a push gesture. BMW gesture control in the new BMW 7 Series highlights the extent to which BMW has already mastered this form of control. It can already be used to carry out functions associated with telephone, information and entertainment systems.
More convenience when parking – Gesture Control Parking.
The Open Mobility Cloud recognises when specific functions are next expected by users. In the Smart Home, picking up the vehicle key is the signal to open the garage door and this action gives the networked BMW i3 the signal to leave the garage. The vehicle reverses automatically, turns and positions itself outside the door ready for when the driver leaves the house. The research application BMW Gesture Control Parking means that the BMW i3 can also drive into and out of a parking space while on a journey without the driver sitting in the vehicle. The function is triggered by a wave gesture which is recognised by the smart watch and transmitted to the vehicle.
After having arrived at the venue for an appointment, the BMW i3 helps to find a free parking space. Once the system has identified a free space, the driver selects it, stops and gets out of the vehicle. While the driver is standing beside the BMW i3, the smart watch is activated using an individually configurable activation gesture. The subsequent wave gesture gives the starting signal for the parking procedure and this is transmitted to the BMW i3 by wireless connection. The use case demonstrated at the CES shows the vehicle reversing independently in a semicircle, then moving forward into the vacant parking space while controlled by the vehicle sensor system, and finally locking the doors. The manoeuvre to drive out of the parking space is also triggered by wave gestures that are picked up by the smart watch. The BMW i3 reverses out of the parking space independently and then positions itself in the right direction ready to drive away.
Today, the BMW Group has already made parking easier with the Parking Assistant and this increases convenience for drivers. The driver only has to hold down a button in the vehicle and monitor the parking procedure for driving into a parallel or perpendicular parking space. The BMW 7 Series can even be manoeuvred into tight head parking spaces or garages by remote control from outside the vehicle. The BMW Group is now using future Gesture Control Parking to highlight the target of offering users a convenient solution for a parking space in any situation.
At the exhibition in Las Vegas, the BMW i3 drives in fully automated mode and without a driver. Last year, the BMW Group already demonstrated its high level of expertise in vehicle automation at the CES. The research applications 360 Degree Collision Avoidance and Remote Valet Parking Assistant allowed a BMW i3 to move independently, dynamically and without a driver through a multi-storey car park, demonstrating the extent to which the BMW Group has already mastered this technology.
Remote 3D View – vehicle environment in view.
While drivers today continue to drive, steer and even park their vehicles themselves, the BMW i3 is carrying out many procedures automatically at the CES 2016. It will drive up in front of the house, drive into the garage for automatically inductive charging, or park independently while on a journey. The BMW i3 recognises its environment, moves with the necessary safety and care, and locks itself up automatically. The Remote 3D View application also keeps the driver optically networked with their vehicle. In this process, the assistance system uses the vehicle cameras which otherwise support manual parking. Four cameras permit a 360 degree view round the vehicle. The images taken by the cameras are displayed by live streaming through BMW Connected on various end devices such as the smart phone or the Mobility
Mirror. They can be used in the Smart Home to monitor the BMW i3 driving automatically out of and into the garage.
Bumper Detect – the virtual observer.
Parking damage is a familiar and aggravating symptom accompanying the dense traffic in the modern world, particularly in highly populated innercity environments. Everybody will undoubtedly have experienced their own vehicle having sustained damage in a car park without anybody coming forward to own up as having caused the damage – possibly because the fact that contact was made with the car went unnoticed. The BMW Group is presenting Bumper Detect at the CES 2016. This is a research application that is able to give a helping hand precisely in this situation. An innovative sensor system in the vehicle identifies whether another vehicle has bumped into the driver’s vehicle and activates the cameras which then provide images for Remote 3D View. At the same time, networked systems send a notification to the driver’s smart phone over BMW Connected as a signal that the sensors have registered a contact with the BMW i3. The images from the camera are transferred to the smart phone on request. If unauthorised individuals are tampering with the BMW i3, the movement sensors again register the activity and send a message to the driver’s smart phone and if requested stream images, for example to mobile end devices. This means that the driver can establish quickly whether somebody was only making a mistake and had tried the wrong car or whether other measures are necessary.
Controlling the Smart Home from the BMW i3.
The Internet of Things represents the next stage in networking, but the BMW Group is already facilitating control of Smart Home functions and end devices from the vehicle. The android-based Smart Things app on the Samsung stand at CES 2016 is perfectly integrated in a BMW i3 (also possible with all other models from the BMW Group fitted with ConnectedDrive Services). This system allows installations like the heating in the Smart Home to be controlled while driving along, using the iDrive Controller and the Control Display. The driver can additionally check from the vehicle whether the windows and doors are closed or whether the alarm system has been activated.
The BMW Group is also demonstrating that the BMW i3 is integrated in the digital living environment of the user through BMW Connected even when the vehicle is parked. Networking the Open Mobility Cloud with the Smart Home thereby makes complex scenarios possible. For example, the BMW i3 can be pre-air-conditioned during a wake-up scenario in the house when starting the heating or switching on the coffee-maker. Ideally, this is carried out while the vehicle is still charging and the range is therefore not affected by this.
Integration of the Samsung SmartThings App enables BMW ConnectedDrive once again to highlight the capability to integrate innovative applications swiftly into the vehicles of the BMW Group.