Volvo Cars works with Microsoft for HoloLens, to develop the next generation automotive tech.
The maker of premium cars revealed on Friday, through a press release on its site, how the holographic computer, the first completely untethered computer, might be used in the future to redefine how customers explore a car, and how cars might be sold and bought in the future.
Volvo will use Microsoft's HoloLens headset for its showrooms to showcase things impossible to instantly demo indoors, reported Engadget. HoloLens is a great tool to demo the safety features of a vehicle, like avoiding collision or in customizing the car.
They conducted a HoloLens demo at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond and showed how customers can use mixed reality to configure cars as holograms are combined with the physical world through the powerful and wearable headset. Journalists who were present during the demo were also giving a preview of Volvo's new S90 premium sedan, which will be launched at Detroit North American International Auto Show in January.
With augmented reality, the car maker was able to display the car's cross sections and holographic models. Participants customized the color and bumper of the sedan and they walked around the hologram to see the vehicle from all angles.
The event indicated how mixed reality can potentially change customer-car relationship. Senior VP Marketing, Sales and Service Björn Annwall of Volvo Cars stated: "HoloLens offers the freedom to create a bespoke experience which customers can steer themselves. Imagine using mixed reality to choose the type of car you want - to explore the colours, rims, or get a better understanding of the features, services and options available."
Microsoft HoloLens Senior Director Scott Erickson also expressed they are thrilled to work with the automaker to reimagine car design possibilities, purchasing and discovery. "We are excited to be at this intersection of technology and human-centric design with Volvo."
According to Bloomberg, both Volvo and Microsoft can use HoloLens to include the capability to sit inside the car and take it on a test drive for an immersive experience. In the future, the two companies might also have the feature of autonomous driving and the usage of data from connected cars for new services, including the possibility of predictive analytics to enhance safety.
This is one of Microsoft's projects with HoloLens. The company also toured U.S. and Canada to entice developers to buy a headset at $3,000, said Engadget.
