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In Episode 9 of EE Times On Air, published January 12, 2019, Rolling Stone contributor Jesse Will talks with host David Finch about CES concepts that could turn car cabins into adaptive spaces for quiet, entertainment and work. Active road-noise cancellation is the idea they describe as closest to reality; virtual-reality rides, panel speakers and mood-responsive interiors show how far the passenger experience might extend.
What is the EE Times episode about?
Recorded at CES 2019, the 21-minute conversation follows a common thread: cars could become more than transport cabins. Sensors, software, sound systems and vehicle hardware might respond to road conditions or a passenger’s needs, making the cabin a media environment as well as a place to travel.
David Finch interviews Jesse Will, introduced as a freelance writer based in Austin whose work includes Rolling Stone, Men’s Journal and The Wall Street Journal. The episode is Episode 9 of EE Times On Air. Listen to the episode and read its transcript on EE Times.
Which CES car ideas did they discuss?
Audi Experience Ride: match virtual reality to the car’s motion
Audi demonstrated a concept in which a vehicle’s movement could shape virtual-reality content. For example, as the car turns through a curve, a passenger might see a game character moving through a corresponding virtual landscape. The aim was to better align what the passenger sees with the vehicle’s motion, potentially easing motion sickness.
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The conversation also describes the reverse arrangement: a stationary vehicle whose suspension moves in time with a home-theater or action-film experience. These were demonstrations of possible experiences, not evidence of a production feature available in 2019.
Active road-noise cancellation: make the cabin quieter
Finch summed up a CES trend with the line, “Quiet is the new loud.” Will described Bose’s QuietComfort Road Control as using accelerometers, microphones and software to generate a signal that cancels harsh road noise. The intended benefit is a calmer cabin for conversation, work or watching a movie.
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The speakers connected the idea to battery-powered vehicles: when a vehicle is quieter, tire and road noise can stand out more. Will called noise cancellation “the least exciting but the most exciting because it is imminent,” placing it nearer-term than the more elaborate concepts discussed in the episode. That is their assessment in a 2019 interview, not a current availability claim or an independent performance test.
Predictive suspension: respond to pavement ahead
Will said Audi and Mercedes were using cameras in demonstrations to anticipate pavement and raise or lower a vehicle. The concept is to sense an upcoming road surface and adjust suspension before the wheels reach it. The interview does not establish that a particular production model offered this capability in 2019.
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Nissan Invisible to Visible: add digital information to the view
Nissan’s Invisible to Visible concept would blend real and virtual worlds. External data could help show road events ahead or around a corner, while a conversational 3D avatar might appear in the cabin. Such an interface raises practical questions about what information is useful, how reliably it represents hazards and whether added visual content distracts the driver. The interview presents it as a concept, not a deployed driver-assistance feature.
Continental’s panel speakers: make the car itself produce sound
Continental was developing actuators intended to make doors, windows and other vehicle panels function as speakers, rather than relying only on conventional speaker units. Will described the concept as potentially saving about 30 pounds per car and using less energy than conventional speakers. Those figures are his account of development work in the interview; they are not independently verified production specifications. He placed work with manufacturers around the 2021 timeframe, which should be understood as a 2019 expectation rather than confirmation of later availability.
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Roaming theaters and workspaces: rethink where passengers sit
Intel, Warner and BMW showed a concept interior built around the possibility that passengers would not always need to face forward. With ambient lighting and immersive sound, the cabin could function as a theater or workspace while the vehicle handles the drive. It is a vision of future mobility, not a description of a generally available interior or a guarantee that people can safely work or watch video in every vehicle.
Kia READ: adapt the cabin to a passenger’s inferred mood
Kia’s Real-Time Motion-Adaptive Driving concept, developed with MIT, used facial recognition and AI to infer a person’s mood, then adjust music, seat vibration, lighting and scent. Will recounted that it read his neutral expression as overly serious and played energetic electronic music. The anecdote illustrates a human-factors challenge: an automated system can misread a face, and a response that seems appropriate to software may not suit the passenger.
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How do the concepts compare?
| Concept | Likely availability in the interview’s framing | Primary passenger benefit | Sensing or computation described | Vehicle hardware change | Human-factors consideration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active road-noise cancellation | Closest to reality, according to Finch and Will in 2019; current availability is not established by the episode | Quieter cabin | Accelerometers, microphones and software | Audio and sensing integration | Should reduce unwanted noise without compromising useful awareness |
| Audi Experience Ride | Demonstration concept | Entertainment and potentially reduced motion sickness | Vehicle motion coordinated with VR content | VR equipment and, for the stationary theater idea, moving suspension | Virtual movement needs to correspond convincingly to physical motion |
| Predictive suspension | Discussed as a concept demonstration, not a confirmed 2019 production feature | Adapt to road surfaces ahead | Cameras and control software | Adjustable suspension | Performance depends on correctly interpreting the road ahead |
| Nissan Invisible to Visible | Concept | Information about events ahead or around corners; conversational interaction | External data and a virtual interface | In-cabin display or visualization system | Virtual overlays and avatars could distract or confuse if poorly designed |
| Continental panel speakers | Development concept; interview mentioned an approximate 2021 manufacturer timeframe | Sound from vehicle surfaces, with potential weight and energy savings | Actuators integrated with panels | Panels become part of the audio system | About 30 pounds of potential savings per car was Will’s 2019 description, not a measured production result |
| Roaming theater or workspace | Demonstration concept | Entertainment and productivity | Immersive sound and ambient lighting | Reconfigurable cabin concept | Suitability depends on vehicle operation and passenger needs |
| Kia READ | Concept developed with MIT | Personalized cabin atmosphere | Facial recognition and AI mood inference | Controls for music, seat vibration, lighting and scent | Mood can be misread; facial data and automated personalization invite privacy questions |
What was closest to reality—and what remains uncertain?
In the interview, both speakers favored noise cancellation as the most immediate idea. Finch and Will were less convinced by hologram-like interfaces and automatic mood adaptation, which depend on more speculative combinations of sensing and interaction. That ranking reflects their CES 2019 discussion; it should not be read as a present-day market survey.
The episode is a field conversation, not a formal study. It reports no independent performance tests, market statistics or confirmation that the concepts reached production. In particular, the approximately 30-pound figure for Continental’s panel-speaker concept is an estimate attributed to Will, not a verified weight reduction in a production vehicle.
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