It's a sign of the times that automotive companies are releasing major new concept cars at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), and in years to come, as robotics and artificial intelligence converge with the automobile, Las Vegas in the New Year may become the premier such showcase of intelligent vehicles in the world. Honda's NeuV concept vehicle will be appearing at the show and is being promoted as "harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, robotics, and big data to transform the mobility experience."
CES 2017 will also see the unveiling of a concept motorcycle that will apparently feature in the keynote address of Honda President & CEO Yoshiyuki Matsumoto. At this stage, all we know is that Matsumoto will "unveil a concept motorcycle demonstrating an application of the company's robotics technology."
Honda's newly announced "Cooperative Mobility Ecosystem" will be shown for the first time at CES 2017, with Honda promising to announce collaboration with global brands and startups.
From Honda's press release: Honda will feature interactive and immersive experiences designed to showcase a future technology path toward a redefined mobility experience. From reducing traffic congestion to creating new modes of in-car connectivity, visitors will have an opportunity to explore and demo technologies with the potential to make people's lives better. The exhibit will include the NeuV, a concept automated EV commuter vehicle equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) called "emotion engine" that creates new possibilities for human interaction and new value for customers.
The "emotion engine" was developed by cocoro SB Corp., the Japanese AI company responsible for the Pepper robot's smarts and which is also helping Kawasaki with the personality for its next-gen motorcycle. The engine is built to enable machines to generate their own emotions, with Honda saying packing such AI technology into the NeuV concept will provide new ways for people to interact with the vehicle.
Honda's CES press conference takes place on January 5, 2017, so we'll suspend disbelief until then.
Source: Honda
