BMW iX Flow Connected Directly to the Brain?

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Go with the Radical E Ink Flow from BMW?

Click to Enlarge Dr. Frankenstein.

At the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 in Las Vegas, the BMW Group unveiled the BMW iX Flow with (marketing babble alert> E Ink, a unique vehicle capable of changing its entire body color at the touch of a button. Delegates at the BMW Group’s rad°hub (sic) dialogue platform held at Plant Munich on 12-13 May had the opportunity to experience the enhanced color switching abilities of the BMW iX Flow up close for the first time.

“We have already introduced further improvements for the technology since CES,” said Stella Clarke, project lead of the BMW iX Flow. “Previously, the changes between color patterns only took place in a gradual transition. Now, the control electronics have been tweaked to enable instantaneous transformations, resulting in an even more stunning visual effect.” Sounds like a stoner on speed to AutoInformed.

In essence delegates were asked to go with the Radical E Ink flow from BMW. “The rad°hub event provides a platform for open, interdisciplinary ideas-sharing between visionary thinkers and opinion leaders from around the world,” BMW said today. (AutoInformed: BMW – Digital Art Coming in Cars During 2022?, BMW Group Posts Record Revenues, Earnings, Profits for 2021)

The body of the BMW iX Flow is laminated in a special film containing millions of color capsules. When stimulated by electrical signals, negatively charged white pigments or positively charged black ones will collect at the surface, thereby changing the exterior color. By making it possible to alter the body color and display different patterns, the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink opens up a whole new way of personalizing the driving experience.

Dr. Frankenstein Meets Connected Cars Via Neurotechnology?

With the help of brainboost (sic)*, the BMW iX Flow was connected directly to the brain of the rad°hub delegates using an electroencephalograph (EEG), which records the brain’s electrical activity. “The color patterns of the BMW iX Flow react to brain activity and reflect the level of activity,” said brainboost CEO Philipp Heiler.

“Once the brain is at rest, the changes of patterns on the iX Flow also become calmer and more rhythmical.” A special animation was activated if delegates managed to maintain this state for several seconds. Thus, the participants were able to gradually calm and relax their brains under the guidance of the brainboost experts and with the help of neurofeedback via the iX Flow. This matures the knowledge of which strategies work best to specifically shut down one’s own brain activity for relaxation, e.g., in everyday working life,” said Heiler.

*The startup brainboost (sic – they aren’t  boosted enough yet to Capitalize) was founded with “the mission of making mental fitness and health accessible to as many people as possible. The interdisciplinary team specializes entirely in mental fitness and health, offering training courses, coaching sessions and corporate health management measures in this area while also conducting research and developing software. brainboost uses the fundamentals of neuroscience and data-based measurement techniques – most notably EEGs for measuring electrical activity in the brain – for the purpose of clarification and prevention, as well as for enhancing quality of life and mental performance.”

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