Mitsubishi Electric testing a rotating infotainment system; could debut in 2 years

RahulNagaraj · 9th August 2021, 14:19

Mitsubishi Electric is testing out a rotating infotainment system. The prototype has been dubbed 'Project Firebird' and has been installed on an Acura MDX. However, the system will be made available for other automakers as well.

Mitsubishi Electric testing a rotating infotainment system; could debut in 2 years-rotatinginfotainmentsystem.jpg

In a video, Mark Rakoski, VP of Advanced Engineering at Mitsubishi Electric, stated that the rotating infotainment allows customers to set the screen as per their preference. He also stated that some apps work better in portrait mode, while others in landscape mode - with the system capable of adapting for each.

The prototype unit of the infotainment system can be seen with thick bezels all around. It is also said to come with inward-facing cameras which will offer driver-monitoring features as well. The rotating infotainment system is also said to use Android-based software.

Rakoski stated that the rotating infotainment system could make it into production in the next two years.

Source:

Autoline Network

Link to Team-BHP news

Dhillon · 9th August 2021, 15:27

A nice idea but seems to be a bit un-practical to me. How many car makers would want this? They will have to design their AC vents in such a way that they are not obstructed when the screen is rotated (as can be seen in the video that it obstructs the AC Vents). Also, with MIDs becoming more bigger and digital, I guess the usage for this sort of infotainment system will be limited.

kosjam · 9th August 2021, 17:04

While impractical, it shows that companies give a free hand to their developers to come up with outlandish, impractical ideas, because who knows, the next big thing might be the 8th of 9 such ideas that are thrown up by such designers. It is what leads to innovation.

So Mitsubishi, a good call. Keep innovating...

Raghu M · 9th August 2021, 17:14

This is something that is not required in cars. How practical is it? To name a project on this type of feature is a little overboard IMO. It would have made sense if it was removable and still could have connected tech. For example, the rear passenger can completely take off the infotainment screen and play around with required options. It should still be displaying the required info on the screen if charged properly. Just a rotating screen looks just like a smartphone doing auto rotate.

prajwalmr62 · 9th August 2021, 17:30

The highlighting part here is not the rotating screen, but the cluster and infotainment both running on Android 10. This gives the automakers a huge ground to play with. This enables the developers to come up with better animations and transitions, higher quality screens at lesser cost.

Also, he mentioned up to 3 screens. May be one more screen for rear passengers?

MaheshY1 · 9th August 2021, 22:22

My Beat diesel will soon complete 7 years and I still don't have a music system installed. They're expensive and they don't add to the resale value. Also, the fit and finish of the panels after the installation is nowhere near as good. Things start to rattle soon.

But those are not the only reasons why I don't use an infotainment system. The main reason is that I can use Android Auto on my massive phone screen with a Bluetooth speaker in the boot to listen to podcasts. Even that is too much for me. I usually prefer listening to the mechanical sounds of my car.

With a magnetic mount, the easy-on-easy-off capability makes it quite easy to attach or remove the phone. It also allows me to rotate the display to my preference. And, I can upgrade the display and the brains of my infotainment along with my phone.

That's still not all. The big reason why I absolutely hate the factory infotainment implementation is that all of them are landscape. Android Auto's deck layout uses the screen real estate more efficiently in portrait mode, where you can see more cards without scrolling. Even in the 3D-ish navigation view, you can see further down the road on the screen in portrait compared to the landscape view.

Rotating infotainment is a 'well-duh' thing for me. UX is common sense once you put yourself in the customer's shoes.

9th August 2021, 15:27	#2
Dhillon BHPian Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 163 Thanked: 543 Times	Re: Mitsubishi Electric testing a rotating infotainment system; could debut in 2 years A nice idea but seems to be a bit un-practical to me. How many car makers would want this? They will have to design their AC vents in such a way that they are not obstructed when the screen is rotated (as can be seen in the video that it obstructs the AC Vents). Also, with MIDs becoming more bigger and digital, I guess the usage for this sort of infotainment system will be limited.
	(2) Thanks

9th August 2021, 17:04	#3
kosjam BHPian Join Date: Jul 2021 Location: Mumbai Posts: 316 Thanked: 1,596 Times	Re: Mitsubishi Electric testing a rotating infotainment system; could debut in 2 years While impractical, it shows that companies give a free hand to their developers to come up with outlandish, impractical ideas, because who knows, the next big thing might be the 8th of 9 such ideas that are thrown up by such designers. It is what leads to innovation. So Mitsubishi, a good call. Keep innovating...
	(2) Thanks

9th August 2021, 17:14	#4
Raghu M Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: Hyderbad Posts: 1,007 Thanked: 3,532 Times	Re: Mitsubishi Electric testing a rotating infotainment system; could debut in 2 years This is something that is not required in cars. How practical is it? To name a project on this type of feature is a little overboard IMO. It would have made sense if it was removable and still could have connected tech. For example, the rear passenger can completely take off the infotainment screen and play around with required options. It should still be displaying the required info on the screen if charged properly. Just a rotating screen looks just like a smartphone doing auto rotate.
	() Thanks

9th August 2021, 17:30	#5
prajwalmr62 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2020 Location: Sagara Posts: 240 Thanked: 1,168 Times	Re: Mitsubishi Electric testing a rotating infotainment system; could debut in 2 years The highlighting part here is not the rotating screen, but the cluster and infotainment both running on Android 10. This gives the automakers a huge ground to play with. This enables the developers to come up with better animations and transitions, higher quality screens at lesser cost. Also, he mentioned up to 3 screens. May be one more screen for rear passengers?
	(1) Thanks

9th August 2021, 22:22	#6
MaheshY1 BANNED Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Tapukara Posts: 452 Thanked: 1,309 Times	Re: Mitsubishi Electric testing a rotating infotainment system; could debut in 2 years My Beat diesel will soon complete 7 years and I still don't have a music system installed. They're expensive and they don't add to the resale value. Also, the fit and finish of the panels after the installation is nowhere near as good. Things start to rattle soon. But those are not the only reasons why I don't use an infotainment system. The main reason is that I can use Android Auto on my massive phone screen with a Bluetooth speaker in the boot to listen to podcasts. Even that is too much for me. I usually prefer listening to the mechanical sounds of my car. With a magnetic mount, the easy-on-easy-off capability makes it quite easy to attach or remove the phone. It also allows me to rotate the display to my preference. And, I can upgrade the display and the brains of my infotainment along with my phone. That's still not all. The big reason why I absolutely hate the factory infotainment implementation is that all of them are landscape. Android Auto's deck layout uses the screen real estate more efficiently in portrait mode, where you can see more cards without scrolling. Even in the 3D-ish navigation view, you can see further down the road on the screen in portrait compared to the landscape view. Rotating infotainment is a 'well-duh' thing for me. UX is common sense once you put yourself in the customer's shoes.
	() Thanks