Epicnpoc is a Paris, France-based startup supporting all aspects of user-experience driven innovation and development with dedicated software solutions. They have been selected in the Ubimobility program, as one of the 7 French companies to spend two weeks between Detroit and San Francisco this coming September to meet the US autonomous and connected vehicle industry. Ubimobility is powered by Business France and BPI France to promote French technology abroad.
Epicnpoc developed SC-1 (Sociable Cart), an electric fake autonomous vehicle—it’s actually a remotely-driven vehicle—for 5 people, created jointly by Sony and Yamaha. It replaces windows with high definition displays and sensors. When getting in the car and driving, the passengers see perfectly the surrounding thanks to the 5 displays and the cameras. It aims at enriching the daily routine of mobility through augmented perception of exterior with artistic imagination and finally enables the passengers trust of the autonomous vehicle by experiencing its supernatural perception of the surroundings.
At night, high-quality displays and cameras provide a much better vision of exterior than looking at reality through the door. This reality is augmented with virtual graphics, tags and sounds, as well as new elements (people, animals, etc) to provide a better understanding of the surrounding, and to generate emotions.
The project has three goals: to enhance the exterior perception for passengers, to transform mobility time into a fantastic experience, and to boost the public acceptance of autonomous mobility. It illustrates a complete paradigm shift from techno-push concepts enabling occupant activities to a passive and kind of contemplative attitude.
Interesting food for thought: after the e-mirror and the rearview and sideview cameras, will e-windows and e-windshields create a more desirable autonomous experience for the
(ex-)driver and passengers?
