He played one of the most magical machines in the history of sci-fi movies.
Now, Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger has appeared on stage to plug BMW’s new AI-inspired car. The actor and former California mayor took the stage during the German auto company’s keynote at CES 2023 in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
‘Arnie’ was then joined on stage by BMW CEO Oliʋer Zipse, who introduced the company’s new livery vehicle, the BMW i Vision Dee.
Video: BMW launches the first futuristic color-changing car model
The electric sports sedan uses electronic ink to switch between 32 colors including purple, pink, yellow, white and red. BMW describes the BMW i Vision Dee as ‘the next level of interaction between man and machine’.
‘Dee’ stands for ‘digital emotional experience’ and emphasizes the ‘increasing importance of the relationship’ between humans and machines. However, according to the company, this car is just a concept and it will not be sold.
“With i Vision Dee, we are showcasing what is possible when hardware and software come together,” said BMW CEO Oliʋer Zipse. In this way, we can exploit the full potential of digitalization to turn cars into smart companions. That’s the future for automakers and BMW alike – the combination of ‘virtual experiences and real driving’.
Schwarzenegger has previously collaborated with BMW, appearing as the Greek god Zeus in a commercial for the BMW iX that aired during last year’s Super Bowl. “I am very excited to be involved in this whole project and to be part of BMW and promote this whole project,” he said.
The new car uses E-ink, the type of ink best known for the screens used in e-readers, such as Amazon’s Kindle. The body of the BMW i Vision Dee is divided into ‘microcapsules’ – spherical particles with a diameter equivalent to the thickness of a human hair.
These microcapsules contain colored pigments that, depending on the chosen settings, are stimulated by means of an electric field. This causes certain color pigments to accumulate on the surface of each microcapsule, giving the car the desired shade.
When asked about the purpose of a color-changing car, BMW told MailOnline that it is a ‘vision of the distant future’. “At BMW, we always strive to promote enʋelope style, which also means exploring all aspects of innovative materials,” said the spokesperson.
At last year’s CES, BMW introduced the iX Flow, which uses E-ink to go from matte to white. Now, the company has expanded this product to a colorful exterior, configured according to individual preferences – although the colors can only change when the car is stationary.
The BMW i Vision Dee also has a number of other futuristic features that help ‘maximize the potential of digitalisation’.
Inside, a full-surface head-up display can be used to combine reality with virtual reality to create a digital dashboard. Drivers can control the display and choose how much digital content they want to view using a touch sensor on the dashboard next to the steering wheel.
The display combines graphic elements, lighting and sound effects so that cars and dryers ‘can interact in their simplest form’. The BMW i Vision Dee can also project the dryer’s aʋatar image onto the side window, towards those outside.
And the dimmable windows can also be used for ‘actual dimming’, although this is designed for use when the car is not running dry. Inside, the company says, the BMW i Vision Dee has been deliberately pared down with digital features replacing analog features such as dials and buttons.
As for why it created a car that won’t be sold, BMW said it demonstrates “the significant potential of a technology not previously used in the automotive sector”.
CES is often a showcase for technologies that have never been economically viable or mass-produced, although other products will hit the market in the next few years.
CES, the world’s largest annual consumer technology trade show, takes place from January 5 to 8 and features approximately 3,100 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 100,000 people. attend.
