NEW PRODUCTS: HARMAN Auto Innovation

Our spy out in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the global consumer electronics and consumer technology tradeshow  CES, Nick Bailey of Elan PR has given us a glimpse of some cracking in-car modernity from top brand HARMAN.

The first – developed by HARMAN and WayRay (a Swiss headquartered pioneer in Holographic AR displays) is a new concept product developing a wide view angle full windshield heads-up display.

The guys behind the project said: "WayRay specializes in innovative use of holographic optical elements that enable an augmented reality (AR) projection system that is significantly more compact than traditional mirror and lens based projection technology and allows for high-resolution projection in direct line of sight of the driver particularly for ADAS applications such as augmented navigation.

"WayRay technologies allow the widescreen to be a new medium for information. An augmented reality solution, it is the first solution to use true holographic technology and deliver contextually relevant information to drivers and provide engaging entertainment for passengers simultaneously."

You can check it in action here.
"HARMAN’s collaboration with WayRay is another example of our relentless drive to deliver seamless, integrated, connected and safer experiences in the car," said Phil Eyler, president HARMAN Connected Car. "As the leader in the connected car space, HARMAN is committed to driving innovation across the industry to deliver on the needs of automakers and their drivers and passengers."
And Vitaly Ponomarev, CEO and Founder, WayRay said: "Holographic displays offer the opportunity to make self-driving vehicles safer and more reassuring for passengers. By providing visualizations of what is happening around the car, how it's riding and relevant POIs along your route, passengers are kept fully informed about the drive, even if they're not actually driving."

Pretty trick eh?

The next innovation is HARMAN's award-winning Voyager Next, debuting as the industry’s first all-in-one audio and connected car Head Unit solution designed to meet the needs of today’s ‘on-the-go’ lifestyle. 

Designed specifically with the next-generation of millennial consumers in mind, Voyager Next combines HARMAN’s industry leading premium audio and connected car technologies into one tailored solution – adding innovative application, loudspeaker and subwoofer solutions to provide an experience that meets their expectations for great audio quality while connecting them to their daily lives.
Moving way, way beyond traditional audio to capture a fully integrated entertainment experience, Voyager Next adds customizable in-vehicle lighting along with connectivity and compatibility with in-home and portable devices. 

For car makers, Voyager Next provides the ability to offer cost effective and easy to implement premium audio solutions for the entry-level vehicle segment. It's a huge growth sector. 

And this system also provides new levels of intelligent personalization and connectivity to the in-vehicle experience through advanced technologies, including:

• HARMAN Display Audio – An embedded, connected head-unit solution that brings the best of consumers’ smartphone experiences into the car enabling music, navigation and other capabilities. It supports leading industry platforms including Apple CarPlay, Google AndroidAuto, Baidu CarLife and SmartDeviceLink; giving users several ways to connect any smartphone to the car regardless of make or OS.
• Voyager Next Connect Companion App –A custom smartphone app that is mirrored and controlled by the Head Unit using SmartDeviceLink technology, allowing users to seamlessly customise an in-car listening and lighting experience including mirroring their choice of listening locations from the studio to the stadium.
• HARMAN Proprietary Micro Speaker Technology – An array of next-generation micro speakers that work with Dirac Panorama processing technology to create big sound, with a wide soundstage and distinct, stable centre image, from a small space.
• Dual-Core Micro Sub-Woofers – Innovative technology shrinks the form factor of a traditional subwoofer by nearly 80 percent, allowing them to be eliminated from the door structure while offering a more flexible system architecture option that reduces overall vehicle weight. 
• Voyager Next Sub – A full range portable audio system that can be popped into and out of the vehicle for seamless listening on the go and lets users pair with multiple compatible smart audio devices for power concert-like sound on the go.

Looks like the future is for much more cool connectivity, infotainment and trick tech toys in our cars – and not just range-topping, expensive models either – and HARMAN is leading the way with an army of 30,000,000 vehicles already out there connected up to their gear and many more to follow we are sure. Cheers Nick for the heads up.