Future Vehicle Designs and Technologies | Audi South Africa
Screens built into the backrests of the front seats.

The interior lighting dims to a warm apricot glow, soothing music chimes in and the display encourages you to maintain a calm, steady breathing rhythm. As the seat reclines, you can let go of everything and just focus on your inhaling and exhaling. Leave the hustle and bustle of the outside world behind.
The Audi urbansphere concept stages-manages every detail to create an immersive environment conducive to relaxation and meditation.
This is known as the health use case, where adjusting the lighting, seating position, soundscapes and digital interfaces inside the Four Rings’ latest concept car creates a tranquil oasis.

The interior of the Audi urbansphere concept seen through the open doors.

The digital assistant is like a butler, permanently on call, poised to cater to your every whim, offer advice and interact with you.

Christina Huber

Christina Huber, user interface designer at Audi, developed the process in cooperation with Italdesign, a Four Rings’ subsidiary and design studio in Turin, Italy: “The Audi urbansphere concept  is a sheltered haven. For the health use case, the car orchestrates a truly immersive cocooning effect by conjuring an extraordinary ambience that’s unlike anything you find at home.”

Yet this is just one aspect of an end-to-end experience. When a passenger approaches the Audi urbansphere concept, the vehicle initiates the welcome scenario – projecting a carpet of light onto the ground and automatically opening the doors. This reveals the inlays and ambient lighting, as the seat turns towards the open doors. Once you’ve settled in, the digital interface’s personal assistant greets you and welcomes you aboard. Christina Huber explains: “The digital assistant is like a butler, permanently on call, poised to cater to your every whim, offer advice and interact with you.”

Portrait of Christina Huber.

Christina Huber, user interface designer at Audi, developed the health use case for the Audi urbansphere concept.

 

One of the options the assistant will offer occupants in the rear is the health use case. When a passenger makes this selection, a camera in the backrest of the front seat conducts a facial scan, measuring the individual’s pupil size to determine a stress factor. If this is elevated, the system launches the immersive meditation programme to guide the passenger into a state of relaxation.
This entails a shift in the lighting to a warm, relaxing colour, while soothing soundscapes play and the seat is reclined to a 60-degree angle, all of which completely transforms the ambience in the Audi urbansphere concept.
Once the meditation is complete, the vehicle’s interior returns to a neutral state and the passengers can decide how they want to use their time in the Audi urbansphere concept – whether it’s concentrating on work, listening to uplifting music or engaging in animated conversation.
The health use case for the Audi urbansphere concept is your on-board relaxation programme. It’s a way of encouraging you to catch your breath, take a moment and collect yourself. Once you feel restored, you can channel your energies into other things.

The Audi urbansphere concept is a sheltered haven. For the health use case, the car orchestrates a truly immersive cocooning effect by conjuring an extraordinary ambience.

Christina Huber

View through the glass roof into the interior of the Audi urbansphere concept.
 

The vehicle shown is a concept vehicle that is not available as a production vehicle. The automated driving functions shown are technologies currently under development, are not available for production vehicles and only work within system limits. All possible uses of the technical systems and functions shown represent only a possible concept and are dependent on the respective legal regulations in the relevant country.