Automakers debut new smart and safe vehicles at CES

Global Business

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was literally in overdrive with ten of the largest car companies in the world displaying their latest products. CCTV America’s Mark Niu took a peek at the latest in automotive technology at CES in Las Vegas.

Just a tap on a smart watch, and a BMW i3 electric car prototype will be ready for use.

The car also has BMW’s fully-autonomous valet parking assistant. A laser scanner on each side the vehicle helps create a map of the environment, so it knows where to steer and when to stop.

“The idea here is you press a button on your smart watch, which will trigger a command to the car, and the car will then drive on its own, through a parking garage possibly over multiple stories and arrives at an empty parking spot where it parks itself. It’s probably not so deterministic to say this year when the products will come out, but we can imagine this technology to be available after 2020,” BMW’s research engineer Georg Tanzmeister said.

BMW also showed off its 360-degree collision avoidance system, which brakes before it collides with an object.

As cars get more computerized consumers demanding the ability to do more while driving.

Ford unveiled Sync 3, which allows simpler swiping and voice-activated controls for weather, gas prices, restaurants, and even some mobile apps.

“We want you to get your hands on the wheel and eyes on the roads. We are very much focused on making sure you can execute your touch on climate, change your climate command and ensure you’re keeping your eyes on the road,” Ford’s Sync Engineer Jeff Ostrowski said.

Volvo is also taking on a specific safety problem, the thousands of bicycle and car collisions that happen every day. It’s teamed up with tech company Ericsson and sports gear manufacturer POC to produce a helmet that flashes and vibrates to warn cyclists of possible collisions and car drivers in a heads-up display.

“The power within three different industries brings them together with innovation power and their own strategies. Then, all of a sudden, you get the innovation power of actually addressing some of the world’s biggest problems today, which is partly related to automotive, congestion, and also safety among people,” Volvo’s chief info officer Klaus Bendrik said.

At CES, innovation wasn’t just confined to the dashboard, but in a whole new class of vehicle.

The company Polaris showed off the Slingshot, a three-wheel vehicle that defies easy description. Riding just five inches off the road, one driver said “it’s like surfing asphalt.”


Gerry Smith of Lenovo shows company’s latest products at CES

One of the most prolific product producers at CES is Chinese computer giant, Lenovo. The company unveiled more than 20 new products this year. CCTV America’s Mark Niu interviewed Gerry Smith, Lenovo’s executive vice president.