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Virtual-reality entertainment is coming soon to the Audi lineup. This summer, Audi says it will become the first automaker in the world to launch virtual-reality in-car tech. The holoride technology is making its way into select Audi vehicles after debuting in 2019. (Holoride is a company co-founded by three former Audi employees.)
The VR system is reserved for back seat passengers. It uses a special holoride-enabled headset that must be connected with the vehicle wirelessly via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Once connected, the VR headset will deliver an immersive experience, be it watching movies, playing video games or engaging in other interactive content.
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Credit: Audi.
Virtual Content Adapts To Car Movements
The technology isn't designed to be just immersive. It also adapts virtual content to the car’s driving movements in real time. Holoride's website dubs its technology as "turning vehicles into moving theme parks." It uses motion-synchronized car and location-aware data with XR content in real-time to adapt content to driving movements, journey time and driving route. Holoride calls it "Elastic Content." For example, if the car turns right, the spaceship in the imaginary world will also fly to the right. If the car speed ups, the spaceship speeds up, too.
Availability
The tech rolls out this June beginning with select Audi models with the latest upgrade of the modular infotainment toolkit (MIB 3) and the latest software cluster that will be holoride-capable. This means: Audi A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, Audi Q5, Q7, Q8, Audi e-tron and Audi e-tron GT quattro. 
Credit: Audi.
Holoride is making its way into vehicles three years after being presented at CES 2019. Audi suggests that in the future, the tech may also be useful in reducing motion sickness that some passengers experience when they're reading a book or using a tablet. In the bigger picture, Audi says in the future designers will no longer design cars from the outside in, but from the inside out – and therefore customers will literally become the center of attention.
Photo Credit: Audi.