CES Las Vegas, 8 January 2018       At CES 2018, TomTom (TOM2), is presenting a new concept for passengers travelling in autonomous vehicles. It’s called TomTom MotionQ – a set of visual clues that enable passengers to anticipate an autonomous vehicle’s motion, leading to a more comfortable experience.

TomTom MotionQ has been revealed as part of the Rinspeed Snap robotaxi concept vehicle, shown for the first time at CES.

A critical challenge when designing an autonomous vehicle is to make passengers feel safe and comfortable. Passengers should feel confident that the vehicle is aware of its surroundings and that it will handle all aspects safely. In terms of comfort, passengers must be able to anticipate the motion of the vehicle to avoid motion sickness.

TomTom MotionQ provides intuitive overlays on the central display, communicating the vehicle’s intended motion. This includes turns and acceleration, as well as elements of the TomTom HD (high definition) Map such as road borders, lane markings, and road geometry.

Another important consideration for shared autonomous vehicles is that passengers must be able to monitor their route, check their ETA and explore points of interest (POIs). TomTom Route Genius does just that, informing passengers of all the aspects of their journey, from accurate ETA information, to relevant POIs along the route.

Willem Strijbosch, TomTom’s Head of Autonomous Driving, said: “The future of mobility relies on a mix of high-definition maps, real-time maps, advanced navigation software, and live data from vehicle sensors. This technology mix is designed with passenger safety in mind. However, passenger comfort is another key element of the equation. That’s why we developed the TomTom MotionQ concept – passengers can now feel safe and comfortable while in autonomous vehicles – especially avoiding motion sickness when they might not be facing the direction of travel. We’re excited to demonstrate our new concept in the Rinspeed Snap.”

Read the whitepaper about TomTom MotionQ here.

The Rinspeed Snap can be seen at the Harman showcase at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas at CES 2018.

The TomTom booth can be found at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, North Hall, Booth #5226, where TomTom will be demonstrating its technologies for autonomous driving, as well as its core technologies – mapping, navigation and traffic services.

ENDS