Windows-less Apple Car is a lot of internet fun

Apple has just obtained a patent for a virtual reality system integrated into a vehicle. One of the key points is the synchronization of the virtual world with the movements of the car. However, the mention of an autonomous car without windows immediately made Internet users react…

Apple is very interested in virtual and augmented reality, and is currently preparing a headset that is highly anticipated. Obviously the firm does not intend to be satisfied with a simple helmet for the general public. Spotted by VRScout website, Apple just got a patent for a VR system integrated in a car.

The patent describes a system for passengers that could take the form of a helmet or glasses, or be directly integrated into the Windows. Apple intends to integrate the movements of the car in the virtual experience to increase immersion. The firm will use data from various sources, such as sensors internal and external parts of the vehicle, including brakes, steering wheel and suspension, as well as world maps, cameras and any other device to create a unique virtual experience.

The integration of movements to combat motion sickness

It is easy to imagine that the device could create a fictional world generated around the planned route in the navigation system, where the user moves according to the position of the car in the real world. By taking into account the movements of the car, the sensations physical of the real world would be synchronized with the virtual content. Apple also points out that it may help combat the travel sickness caused by the difference between the movements perceived by the eyes and those felt by the body. The system could even detect signs of motion sickness in passengers and alter the speed virtual landscape scrolling to match real speed.

Of course, a system of virtual reality can also be used for two-dimensional content, such as movies, books or screencomputer. The device can then project the content onto a large screen at a distance that would place it outside the vehicle.

An autonomous car… without windows?

However, a small sentence seems to give indications on another project of Apple, the Apple Car. The firm is working on an electric car project equipped with an autonomous driving system. In the patent for his device for virtual reality for cars, Apple says that ” self-driving vehicles may have limited or no windows “. There is only one step to imagine that the future Apple Car will not have windows.

The news immediately went viral, as the pun ” nowindows“, in reference to the operating system of Microsoft, was too easy. English-speaking Internet users see it as a sign that Apple has pushed its rivalry with Microsoft to its climax. The site LetsGoDigital immediately created a rendering of what an Apple Car without windows could look like, based on the shape of the Magic Mouse. The story is reminiscent of the cybertruckTesla’s electric pick-up which made Internet users laugh when it was announced because of its very angular shape, reminiscent of the quality of 3D games of the 1990s…

This is the first indication that Apple is working on a virtual reality system for vehicles. It is therefore impossible to estimate when it could come out, or even if it is a serious project that will see the light of day. As for the Apple Car, the latest estimates are for a launch in 2025.