Harman and its parental giant Samsung brought spectators quite the presentation at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, particularly in the automotive space. With technology helping to pave the future for the automobile, this is pretty much expected.
Envisioning a more advanced and connected future in individual transportation, Harman and Samsung showcased some of the latest strides they have been making with innovation and in the research and development department. With aims to become the leader in car connectivity and autonomous driving, Harman and Samsung revealed the latest rendition for its digital cockpit platform for all vehicle market segments, new 5G-based telematics and car connectivity solutions, as well as a completely new software ecosystem to make it all work together.
“Together with Samsung, we have increased innovation speed through scale, resources, and competencies to help automakers focus on the car’s evolution from device-centric to experience-centric,” Harman president and CEO Dinesh Paliwal said in a statement.
“Harman has the heritage and expertise in automotive, and collectively Harman and Samsung harness our best technologies and global scale to accelerate how we better serve the needs of automakers in this rapidly evolving automotive market.”
Harman’s new Digital Cockpit platform
Over the past year, Harman has been developing a new ecosystem and digital platform that works as one of three parts in a completely new car connectivity and autonomous driving software and hardware universe. The new Digital Cockpit platform serves as a new benchmark for in-car dashboard integration and functionality.
For instance, the platform can be programmed to work various automobiles of all kinds thanks to its basic compatibility. Then, engineers can further integrate the systems to work with voice control, physical knobs, and buttons, as well as haptic feedback, according to manufacturer specification.
Furthermore, such integration also allows for new innovations in driver convenience. As an example, because the new Digital Cockpit platform can control in-car functions like the HVAC and infotainment systems, drivers receive more levels of preference personalization whenever they use their vehicles.
Industry’s first 5G-based automotive telematics solutions
Helping to connect the Digital Cockpit Platform wirelessly is Harman’s latest bespoke communication network for automotive applications. Harman claimed it is the industry’s first 5G-based automotive telematics and wireless connectivity solution. Utilizing the latest LTE CAT 16 connectivity standards, Harman promises 100-times faster speeds than current 4G LTE connectivity.
This supposedly opens the world of cloud computing, fast high-resolution streaming, and more immersive augmented and virtual reality features for future cars.
Advanced driving solutions nudges closer to an autonomous future
Harman’s last key focus at CES is the prospect leading the entire campaign: Autonomous driving. The third arm in Harman’s latest ecosystem for car connectivity and autonomous driving is the software itself, tying it all together to help generate a future for self-driving cars.
Called Drvline, the new platform is designed to up Harman’s autonomous driving certification from Level 3 automation to up to Levels 4 and 5, which translate to fully autonomous vehicles.
Both Harman and Samsung are developing the software behind Drvline with an increased focus on the engineering of the systems and how they communicate, the high-performance computing required to support the software demands, and their associated algorithms. The companies are also improving sensor technology, factoring the use of artificial intelligence, and utilizing cloud computing and connectivity for more immersive self-driving experiences.
Click here for all of our coverage for the 2018 CES show in Las Vegas.
