Panasonic Wants Us To Drive Around In Mobile Autonomous Living Rooms By 2035

Ahead of the Japan Mobility Show 2023, Panasonic is previewing what it has planned for the event. Among its displays will be a new vehicle-to-home storage system, safety tech for cyclists, and an autonomous vehicle that shows what the future of autonomous transportation may look like.

Dubbed the Mobile Living Room, the concept combines autonomous vehicle technology with the comfort and entertainment we expect from our homes. Better still, attendees of the Japan Mobility Show 2023 will actually be able to sit down inside a full-size mockup of the concept vehicle.

“The Panasonic Group has been closely connected to people’s lives through home appliances and housing since its founding in order to realize a better life for each individual,” said Toshihiro Miyamihchi, the strategic manager for Panasonic’s vehicle interiors department. “Utilizing this knowledge, we will create a future that moves the hearts of people and a rich mobility society.”

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The vehicle will essentially be a moving terrarium for people. Made of glass on all four sides, it has an L-shaped bench inside with a transparent screen opposite the passengers to act as enrichment as they zoom along gently in a vehicle that moves smoothly, to avoid jostling them.

Panasonic says that these screens will not be touch capacitive, rather they will respond to gestures and words from occupants. In addition to watching out for the vehicle’s occupants, it will also be aware of traffic, pedestrians, and cyclists around it, going so far as to predict their behavior to keep everyone safe.

The company is showing off how that safety technology will work with another demonstration: a bicycle equipped with an Intelligent Transportation System. By using this, Panasonic hopes to avoid dangerous accidents in areas such as intersections with poor visibility. In a virtual demonstration, attendees will again be able to experience this technology, as they avoid simulated accidents.

In addition to being autonomous, Panasonic’s Mobile Living Room will be electric. The company is also showing off how green this technology can be with a show car that visitors to the auto show can interact with to get information about an EV’s ecological advantages.

Moreover, Panasonic is presenting its take on vehicle-to-home charging technology. In its vision, houses and cars will be able to share electricity. EVs will be able to act as batteries that can store power from the grid, or solar panels on a home’s roof, that can then be used for driving, or powering the home when the sun goes down and electricity is more expensive.

Panasonic plans to show off all its coming automotive technology at the Japan Mobility Show from October 26 to November 5 in Tokyo.

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