Just prior to Christmas VRFocus reported on car manufacturer Honda creating a virtual reality (VR) experience called Candy Cane Lane specifically for the patients at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. The company is continuing its work in VR with a newly announced collaboration with DreamWorks Animation, demonstrating a proof of concept version of its Honda Dream Drive in-car VR prototype at CES 2017 this week.
Honda’s Dream Drive uses a VR headset to immerse passengers in a VR world triggered by the motion of the vehicle. The two companies will focus on creating a software development kit (SDK) that fuses live telematics data to feed in-vehicle entertainment, education and information applications that are contextually synchronized with the motion of the vehicle in real-time. CES attendees will have the opportunity to experience the proof of concept prototype, featuring content from DreamWorks’ recent animated movie Trolls.
“Entertainment in the car is rapidly changing as consumers rely more and more on personal devices and Honda sees new opportunities to create unique experiences for our customers,” said John Moon, Developer Relations Lead at Honda Developer Studio. “The collaboration with DreamWorks enables Honda to enhance the in-vehicle experience through new ways of delivering information and entertainment.”
“We see the cabin of an automobile as an untapped platform for delivering entertaining and educational experiences to consumers,” said DreamWorks Animation’s Chief Animation Technology Officer Jeff Wike. “Working with Honda has enabled us to bring our collective talent together to explore and identify opportunities in adapting and creating new forms of consumer engagement.”
“The idea is to evolve from parallel play to connected, cooperative play that connects passengers and drivers to their drive, each other and the world around them,” commented Bryan Biniak, Entrepreneur in Residence at Nokia Growth Partners and co-developer of the Honda Dream Drive experience. “We want vehicle time to include the ability to have heads-up interactive entertainment, educational and informational experiences as well as increased personal productivity.”
As further details on Honda Dream Drive are released VRFocus will bring you the latest updates.