Gwen Stacey’s new car – The BMW i8 Spyder

BMW has used CES 2016 to showcase a range of technologies that are either production ready or will be production ready in the near future.

The ‘BMW i8 Spyder iVision Future Interaction’ concept is as complex as its title is long. Unveiled at CES 2016 the i8 Spyder showcases BMW’s cloud powered system, BMW Connected.

There are no plans to manufacture the i8 Spyder. Rather, this pretty little car is a concept which hopes to show how Munich intends to not only combine Smart functions into one system but create a platform where many, many Smart functions are integrated seamlessly into one system.

This integration will include car based functions such as vehicle servicing and automated valet but also home and lifestyle functions such as opening your garage door and turning the lounge room lights on as you turn into your street.

Of course, the obligatory driverless automated function is included as is real time navigation. Using the information collected from various street sensors and other drivers real time navigation can monitor parking at your destination and direct the driver (or the car) to an empty parking space.

Controlling these multitude of functions is a gesture control system which BMW calls BMW Airtouch. BMW Airtouch is a development on existing gesture control as the system responds to not only the direction of a gesture but also the ‘depth’ of a hand movement.