The Moeye is Kyocera’s second concept car and it is focused on Mobility as a Service or MaaS. The concept of MaaS is about the experience in the car when getting to point A to point B.
The cockpit of this striking retro-futuristic aesthetic concept car goes beyond comfy, ergonomic seats and temperature control. Moeye is equipped with numerous proprietary Kyocera devices that aimed to charm the passenger’s four senses, namely, sight, touch, hearing, and smell. Yes. Even smell.
In a regular car, sight is often limited by the side of the windscreen and windows. But not the Moeye. Working with Professor Masahiko Inami of the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo, Kyocera has made part of the cockpit transparent.
Since it is a fully autonomous vehicle, there is no steering wheel and steering column, and no instrument panel in the way. What is left is a clean, unobstructed space to allow for the implementation of optical camouflage technology.
With optical camouflage technology, the passenger can see beyond what the windscreen has to offer. The concept is much like Land Rover’s transparent hood from 2014. What typically can’t be seen is projected on the dashboard, thus offering an expanded view of the scenery ahead. That is sight. But it does not end there.
Using Kyocera’s proprietary technology, a so-called “aerial display”, images from an LCD are projected to form an original character above the dashboard – much like the holographic POS system we saw in February – to serve as an assistant for information and navigation.
The sight sensory is further pampered by a proprietary LED lighting known as CERAPHIC, capable of reproducing natural light and colors that regular LED can’t reproduce. Rounding the sight sensory are Kyoto Opal jewelry that decorates the inside of the door as well as the center console, conveying the feeling of advanced space.
In the touch sensory, there is another Kyocera tech called HAPTIVITY that generates small vibrations with pressure sensitivity when touching the touch panels, recreating the sensation of pressing a physical button.
Meanwhile, the auditory sensation is offered through yet another Kyocera proprietary technology, the vibration speaker. The vibration speaker uses a piezo element to reproduce powerful sound in the cabin. The speakers are also installed in the headrests to bring sound next to the passengers’ ears.
Finally, there is smell sensory which you can choose from a selection of scents to suit your mood on a particular journey.
So there you have it, an autonomous concept that puts experience first. The development of the second concept car, Moeye, was revealed in 2020. It is a winner of the iF Design Award 2022.
