Dash

Emotive interface of our relationship with connected car

Emotive interface offering schema for “normal functioning” - conveying that AI system of connected vehicle is always on.

When AI powered systems loosen up (user) control, expressiveness can step in to take up more space, supporting positive human experience.

Expanding expressive interaction space, to resonate and harmonize with our intentions and emotions, engaging us with universal human goals & values rather than isolated tasks.

The communication channel between car and driver/passengers is limited to the responsive interface, instrument cluster or infotainment system interface focused on command/control and notifications.

Connected vehicle is more than a tool for getting us from A to B. Especially as vehicle gains ability to perform certain functions autonomously we realize that with all new capabilities and given that we spent a lot of time together, vehicles become an active participant of shared experience and sometimes even something akin to a companion.

Yet with command/control interfaces with vehicle as a utilitarian tool, we don’t have a more interpretative and emotive interface reflecting our evolving relationship with a vehicle as an active participant of shared experience.

The expressive-impressive thought style just assumes that users as well as artifacts make expressions and get impressions and that is what drives the interaction.

“Dash” is an emotive interface of connected vehicles, demonstrating non-task centric intelligence of our cars.
This small, physical computing object connected to signals of connected vehicle, uses evocative power of eye communication, to offer emotional commentary and perceptive companionship for the driver and passengers of connected vehicle.

Dash uses specially designed visual vocabulary of digital eye expressions as a means of communication and empathetic commentary on various micro-events that driver and connected vehicles participate together.

Expressions cause impressions.
Expressions express some kind of inner state or essential property, something like an intention or an emotion, generating expectations, and context for interpretation - in this expressive interface feels interesting for conveying inner workings of ML/ AI based technology, and offering schema for “normal functioning” - conveying that AI system is always on.

Dash is not a digital assistant and doesn’t perform any utilitarian tasks. It uses only non-verbal communication in a form of its digital eye movement and expressions to empathetically and without words comment on everyday shared experiences in a car, such as rapid acceleration, weather conditions, windshield wipers movements, being stuck in traffic, cornering or even occasional potholes.

These visual empathetic commentaries are triggered and dynamically synchronized with telemetric data from connected vehicle and external API such as weather or traffic data.

Even though closely synchronized to actual signals and “events”, “Dash’s” emotive eye expressions are ultimately left to human interpretations.

Current interfaces of connected car are mainly sophisticated digital interfaces turning instrument cluster into a giant touch screen, heads up displays or voice-activated digital assistants. At their essence, all these interfaces focus on command/control and represent a tool-like relationship with vehicle.

Dash is not a way to control or command the vehicle. Dash with its emotive and nonverbal interface of “digital eye expressions” is an interpretative and emotional interface of our evolving relationship with connected vehicles that are becoming more than tools to get us from A to B.