Samsung unveils 5G powered automotive concept with 8 on-board displays

The lines between the world’s largest Consumer Electronics Show and a Car Show are blurring, with Samsung showing off their Digital Cockpit 2020 concept at CES.

The Digital Cockpit concept is a co-development between Samsung Electronics and their subsidiary HARMAN International. The Digital Cockpit leverages Samsung’s technology across telecommunications, semiconductors and displays while HARMAN’s automotive expertise is drawn upon to show off what could possibly be.

The Digital Cockpit is powered by the Samsung Exynos Auto V9 SoC (System on Chip), a chip designed for vehicle electronics, and Android 10 to control eight cameras and eight displays of various sizes mounted in, and on the car.

Some of the displays are simply in the car as entertainment consumption devices, while others present more practical applications, replacing wing mirrors, the dashboard and the centre console display which can be used by the passenger without distracting the driver thanks to QLED Local Dimming technology and split-screen mode – that dimmer and another knob include a rounded display that lights up on contact.

The biggest display is the 53.7-inch Tail Display mounted externally on the rear of the car which can ‘share messages and communicate the driver’s status to parties outside the vehicle when required’.

Samsung uses 5G connectivity to connect the devices, and the car with your home and smart home devices.

Unsurprisingly Samsung’s digital assistant Bixby is on-board to help you do more while you drive, but still keep you focused on the road. Samsung has revamped Bixby for the car to offer tailored suggestions for the driver, even going so far as to include a Driver Monitoring System which can do things like note the driver is travelling a long distance and ‘may suggest turning on some music, or taking other precautions to combat drowsiness’.

Samsungs’ Digital Cockpit 2020 concept is still just that, a concept, so we’re not expecting to see this on the roads anytime soon. There’s some very neat concepts on display here though, and I wouldn’t mind seeing some of them in my next car.

[ces20]