FORVIAs Innovative Software UX Products Enhance Cockpit Experience and Elevates Driver Safety

Tara Akhavan, Director of Innovation & Ecosystems, Faurecia Clarion Electronics, FORVIA

The growth in personalized and connected services and the merging of home, car, and office environments make intuitive interactions with the vehicle's features crucial to advancing comfort and safety. At FORVIA, one of the world’s leading automotive technology suppliers, we are building the cockpit of the future with digital and personalized experiences.

To support this journey, we have acquired and cultivated an ecosystem of global startups with niche expertise in areas including electronics, display hardware, advanced image processing, artificial intelligence, audio processing, and software. In addition, FORVIA created a central innovation team in 2022 to dedicate 100 percent of its time to pioneer groundbreaking technology. Through these collaborations between global teams of multi-disciplinary expertise, FORVIA has developed two key software user experience products: Perceptual UX engine and Safe UX engine.

First, the Perceptual UX engine is tailored toward the cockpit experience. A first-generation version of the software under that product scope won the prestigious Automotive News PACE award in 2021. 

The Perceptual Display Platform (PDP) Vision is the world’s first software platform using perception and physiology to improve the readability and visibility of infotainment display screens while reducing power consumption. The basic concept behind our software is adjusting the RGB (red, green, blue) spectrum to better suit the driver’s eyes. The technology improves screen quality and visibility for the driver, providing a safer and more comfortable user experience. The platform launched on the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet convertible.

We are now working on the second and third generations of the software that will improve aspects such as image processing to bring more value and comfort to the driver. For example, our Green HDR local dimming technology builds on our original perceptual display tech by enabling intuitive display screen clarity while using less energy, making it an ideal solution for electric vehicle manufacturers looking for battery-optimized high-end display systems. We showcased Green HDR at January’s CES show in Las Vegas.

"We design advanced and automated driving solutions to help drivers stay connected, productive, and entertained while on the move"

Meanwhile, our Safe UX software is focused on advanced driver assistance systems to improve driver safety. It’s incorporated into the next generation of our eMirror product platform, which helps drivers see better and understand their driving environment in challenging weather conditions (such as rain, fog, and snow) by replacing conventional side and rearview mirrors with a camera-based system featuring dynamic view and safety alerts.

Our eMirror Safe UX software improves visibility, field of view, and power efficiency without introducing any extra sensors or significant additional costs. It also presents new, patented features to further optimize the safety and user experience of drivers. One of the features is ‘Transparent View.’

Unlike conventional approaches toward image stitching, FORVIA’s patented Transparent View algorithms use advanced image stitching techniques to fill in blind spots with accurate information by fusing the image from a rearview camera into the side camera footage. eMirror Safe UX pulls in data provided by the rearview camera to make the car ‘transparent,’ giving drivers a better field of view on the left and right displays and offering a key value add with respect to conventional mirrors and eMirrors.

FORVIA started developing eMirror in 2016, and our latest generation of eMirror Safe UX prototype was showcased to potential OEM customers in early 2023. Currently, e-Mirrors are allowed in Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Authorities' agreement is scheduled for the middle of 2023 in China and later in the U.S.

At FORVIA, we are working hard every day to design software and technology that make driving safer and easier. We design advanced and automated driving solutions to help drivers stay connected, productive, and entertained while on the move. We believe these products represent those values and will benefit both the industry and the public. Ultimately, our mission is to pioneer technologies that matter to people.