CES 2023: HARMAN is turning your car into Iron Man's suit
It seems like every day we're moving closer to a digital reality that, so far, has been enjoyed exclusively by the fictitious likes of Tony Stark.
At CES 2023, Samsung-owned HARMAN launched two new features that have the potential to revolutionize driving safety: Ready Vision and Ready Care.
Ready Vision uses augmented reality as well as other software and sensor tech to project images directly onto your car's windshield. Think about it like this: You're driving and instead of having to look over at your phone to get directions to Chili's, they're displayed right on the windshield à la the heads-up display in Iron Man's suit. The feature also includes 3D object detection, blind spot warnings, lane departures, and more.
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"This launch is a key component of HARMAN’s mission to enhance the safety of drivers, passengers and pedestrians, while cultivating transformative in-cabin experiences," Armin Prommersberger, senior vice president of product management at HARMAN International, said in a press release. "Ready Vision solves key industry challenges around driver safety by helping drivers better understand their surroundings and enabling an eyes-forward, focused journey. Our new product empowers the driver with the right information at the right time, even in the most unfamiliar driving scenarios, making their time on the road more intuitive and safe."
Ready Care doesn't use augmented reality like Ready Vision does — but that doesn't mean it's any less innovative. Instead, Ready Care combines neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to detect if a driver is distracted and then deliver a personalized response to focus them back up. To do this, HARMAN uses cameras to detect a drivers' drowsiness; sensors and monitors to detect the drivers' cognitive load; and machine learning algorithms that power tailored intervention strategies when a driver isn't attentive enough. No more falling asleep at the wheel or daydreaming your way into another drivers' lane.
"Ready Care is an industry first product that is driving real impact for driver safety and well-being and is a key part of HARMAN’s mission to deliver consumer experiences at an automotive grade," Prommersberger said in a separate release. "With its unique ability to deliver customized and personalized driver interventions via a closed-loop approach, from detections via analysis to tailored interventions like adjusting the temperature, audio settings and vehicle lighting, Ready Care offers solutions and protective intelligence that constantly prioritizes the driver’s well-being."
According to HARMAN, both of these features have been tested and validated, and are ready to go into production this spring. That means, unlike plenty of CES launches, you might actually see Ready Care and Ready Vision out in the real world sooner rather than later.
UPDATE: Jan. 4, 2023, 1:44 p.m. EST This article has been updated with additional comment from HARMAN International.
Christianna Silva is a senior culture reporter covering social platforms and the creator economy, with a focus on the intersection of social media, politics, and the economic systems that govern us. Since joining Mashable in 2021, they have reported extensively on meme creators, content moderation, and the nature of online creation under capitalism.
Before joining Mashable, they worked as an editor at NPR and MTV News, a reporter at Teen Vogue and VICE News, and as a stablehand at a mini-horse farm. You can follow her on Bluesky @christiannaj.bsky.social and Instagram @christianna_j.
