As the age of AI and tech takes over different spheres of life, including the automotive world and cars in particular, the concept of smart cars is, for now, limited not just to phone connectivity and self-parking but also stretches to vital safety aspects such as collision-sensing radars. However, the Chinese car market has redefined convenience and taken it to a whole new level. For example, you can wave your hand from afar to open your door without having to even reach for the keys.
Tech-heavy vehicles in China have shifted the perspective of a car from an internal combustion mobility machine to a computer that transports one from point A to point B, offering various ‘conveniences’ that feel like they’re straight out of the future. A modern-day EV would sit somewhere between the two perspectives.
A video has gone viral on social media, which displays car owners literally ordering their cars to close or open doors through hand gestures. Not only that, one lady even gestures for the car to exit the parking space so she could easily get in. If you fancy knowing which cars have these features, the cars featured in the video include the AITO M9 developed by Huawei, Xiaomi SU7, and NIO smart EV (ET/ES series).
One could see cars as digital mobile companions in China, which is a huge step away from the traditional concept of the car that demanded a fixed input from the driver, be it starting the engine or turning on the headlights. The Economic Times reported an analysis by MIT Technology Review, stating that Chinese cars have moved away from torque and horsepower figures to high-performance chips and complex neural networks, a direction supported by brands such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and NIO.
How Do Chinese Cars Determine Hand Gestures?
In regard to the hand gestures, these smart cars are equipped with Frequency Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) Radar that constantly scans for the distance and velocity of an object, such as a hand, before instantly building a 3D model of it to determine whether the wave was a command or a casual gesture made without an intention to command the car.
The question is, how did these features end up in everyday cars in China before renowned luxury car brands across the world introduced them? Reports state that manufacturers in China have reduced product development cycles from sixty months to eighteen months through “twin simulations and rapid prototyping.” What is even better is that they get to improve these features over time through Over-the-Air (OTA) updates.
