CES 2017: Hyundai's car of the future is not a car

Hyundai has envisioned a world of up-close and personal mobility, where the chair in your living room transports you straight in to your car… that has been hanging on the wall doubling as an extra room.

And if that experience stresses you out then don't worry, your Hyundai Ioniq will sense your discomfort and play some appropriate music or issue the right scent to sooth your psyche as you travel along.

And of course, all the while it will be transporting you autonomously and emissions-free. And when you get to the other end, just pull out the new Ioniq electric scooter to complete the final part of your journey.

It all sounds a bit wacky, but that's the gist of Hyundai's media presentation at the CES (Consumer Electronics Shows) in Las Vegas this morning Australian time, along with its previously announced development of robotic exo-skeletons.

Making your car do double duty as a room in your house might sound far-fetched, but Hyundai says it is working seriously on bringing the concept, which it dubs a "Mobility Vision", to reality.

When 'docked' with a 'Smart Home', Hyundai says your car – or mobility concept – can become an integral part of the living space, performing useful functions and enhancing the environment. For example, the mobility concept can act as an air-conditioner; share its entertainment facilities by mirroring audio and visual outputs with the home's smart devices; and even provide power in emergency situations, using its on-board fuel cell as a generator.

And Hyundai says that when the time does come to drive off, the car's next-generation 'hyper-connectivity' technology will be so advanced users will not feel the movement of transport and will simply continue about their tasks.

Stay hale and hearty with Hyundai's Healthcare Cockpit
But just in case your stress levels do rise, Hyundai says its Healthcare Cockpit concept could be here soon to deal with the problem.

A series of sensors monitor the physical and mental state of the driver, detecting everything from posture to respiratory rate and breathing depth. Also, the car could measure heart-rate variability for stress response, and use eye tracking and facial feature recognition to assess alertness and emotional state. To combat agitation or tiredness, the car could then respond by delivering a customised multi-sensory experience.

This sort of technology may sound far-fetched, but one day all cars will likely implement these features as standard, just like Bluetooth connectivity today.

Strategies include playing specific music at specific volumes, changing the temperature, adjusting the seating posture and the ambient lighting in the dashboard. The system can even emit scents; for instance, lavender can be calming, while peppermint can energise the senses.

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And now for autonomous cars
Underneath the headline-grabbing stunts, Hyundai was communicating some serious development plans, including its latest level of autonomous capability.

Using the Ioniq eco model, which is tipped to arrive in Australia in late 2017, Hyundai's technology now allows the navigation of high levels of pedestrian traffic, stop lights and signs, road construction and road blocks, speed bumps, dogs, small children and even intersections without traffic signals.

Hyundai has two autonomous Ioniqs running demo laps at CES and Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun was shown reading business papers in the driver's seat as one of them transported him to the CES media conference.

The Korean auto giant also revealed fresh details of its collaboration with leading IT and security technology company Cisco on connectivity and the 'hyper-connected car' strategy.

Hyundai defined four key connected car scenarios that will define the experience for its customers:

>> Fully Autonomous Driving – guarantees the highest levels of driving safety by monitoring traffic conditions, infrastructure information and data from other vehicles

>> Smart Traffic – delivers convenience through optimized route guidance based on real-time traffic information, which can reduce congestion and minimize associated social costs that delays can bring

>> Intelligent Remote Service – monitors the car's condition to identify and resolve issues remotely

>> Mobility Hub – is the heart of the connected car, which provides assistance and infinite amounts of knowledge to connect customers with every aspect of their daily lives

And what of the scooter? Well, Hyundai isn't the first car company to come up with such a device. But it is the first to store it in the front door, where it is also recharged.