The news is extraordinarily incredible, in the literal sense of the word: on Ford’s Mustang Mach-E comes the Escape Room. But how can this format be reproduced on a vehicle? The answer is simple: through a game that controls different elements of the car, in order to create an interactive experience.
Mustang Mach-E and the Escape Room: how it will work
The goal will be to deliver a package.
Audio prompts for activities to be performed will be broadcast through the vehicle’s speaker system. The other elements involved in the game or that are used to get bonus points will be: the electric seats, the tailgate with intelligent opening without hands (Hands-free Liftgate), the air conditioning system and the headlights.
No functionality other than the heating system and speakers can be controlled if the car is in motion and, unlike what happens in the Escape Room, players will be able to exit the vehicle at any time, respecting the safety parameters, without losing the game. The game is already installed on an iOS device that interfaces with the vehicle: using Apple CarPlay and an internally developed hardware and software part.
“This is a fun activity but with serious implications, and it shows what can be done with the technology we have in cars today”, ha spiegato Carsten Starke, Technical Expert interior materials & customer experience, Ford Research & Advanced Engineering, Ford of Europe. “Having the ability to create interaction between the vehicle and the driver could open up new avenues for exploring other possibilities in the future, such as an interactive manual available to the owner or even driver coaching.”
At the moment the game is simply a concept, developed by Ford of Europe with input from the Software Enablement & Research team of Ford’s Emerging Technology & Innovation group and the IOT group based in Palo Alto, California. It was developed to highlight how the game might be able to help people become familiar with the functionality of their vehicles.
Twhile on-board gaming activity is talked about the fact that it could also anticipate the future of some applications: capable of entertaining or informing drivers and passengers during waiting times in charging stations or, why not, while driving in future autonomous vehicles.
Below is the video that reveals further details on the “duo” Mustang Mach-E and Escape Room