[Interview] ② Behind-The-Scenes of Samsung’s Digital Cockpit and the Team That Enabled an Enjoyable In-Vehicle Experience

Following Episode 1

The Digital Cockpit has become available through the fusion of cutting-edge technologies. A technological breakthrough is certainly the key to this achievement, but more importantly, a collaboration among team members still remains to be one of the significant factors. The Digital Cockpit lab consists of knowledgeable experts from various fields within Samsung Electronics – all of whom are fascinated by the unexplored field of connected vehicles. Let’s find out more about the team and how they work together in the front line of technology.

No Boundaries At Work: Cutting-Edge Technologies Enhance Productivity

The team’s keen interest and excitement in the unchartered realm of connected vehicles led them to gather and eventually build the Digital Cockpit. Not only that, the team streamlined the work process by sharing brilliant ideas flexibly and testing them immediately.

“In many cases, we promptly carried out ideas that came up during meetings. It is possible to make swift decisions since the members are committed to this new field of business,” said Wooseok Hwang, user experience designer. “With engineers not restricting themselves from sharing opinions vis a vis design, there are no boundaries in our project.”

A full spectrum of core Samsung Electronics technologies ranging from components to end-products and HARMAN’s know-how on automotive electronics, were fully mobilized in the Digital Cockpit 2019.

“Samsung Electronics and HARMAN have accumulated cross-field technologies and experiences that led to a variety of connected services,” said Wonhee Jo, hardware circuit designer.

For a car audio system, built in the Digital Cockpit 2019, Samsung and HARMAN worked closely together throughout the process from initial design to tuning. “Entertainment experiences can vary by the location of speakers. So, adding woofers under each seat and surround sound speakers in the back seat produces an immersive effect,” said JH Youn, digital circuit designer. “Engineers at HARMAN traveled back and forth between Korea and the United states and carefully conducted the tuning until the last moment to build the best sound quality.”

Optimization of a Car Platform: Enabling All Necessary Technologies to Drive on the Road

A driving experience involves a series of activities from starting the car and arriving to your destination. All of these procedures are operated under one platform: the car itself. The Digital Cockpit 2019 is carefully designed to enable a convenient in-vehicle experience with forefront technologies from various fields that have been optimized to match with a driving experience.

Observing passengers’ behavior is another key task of the Digital Cockpit Lab. People have different patterns on using their cars based on their lifestyles. Some people drive alone, or they drive with their family and children. Or some might need to read documents while they are on the road, to keep up with their work.

For example, the feature that allows drivers to adjust the temperature from the back seats was inspired by parents that look over to see their sleeping child from the driver’s seat. The feature that seamlessly presents documents from your smartphone on larger screens in the car via ‘Samsung DeX’ was an idea that came from another observation.

“My ideas came from paying close attention to other people when I was traveling with a friend or driving with other people,” said Wooseok Hwang, user experience designer.

“We Put People First for Enjoyable In-Vehicle Experience.”

“Awesome!”

Many visitors at CES 2019 that was held last January were captivated by the new automotive experience of the Digital Cockpit 2019. Several visitors approached the team who were at the site asking, “Where can I get this car?”

“The Digital Cockpit is not the concept of a finished car. It is more about technologies that enables the car,” said Wonhee Jo, hardware circuit designer. “The purpose of the Digital Cockpit is to unleash the potential to the world that Samsung has in the automotive electronics industry”.

The ultimate goal of the Digital Cockpit Lab is to reach out to people with future technologies. During the development process, the team took into consideration what drivers and passengers can experience when they are inside the car. “Our job is done when people have an enjoyable and pleasant automotive experience through the Digital Cockpit,” said the team.

“There is no set direction. As industries evolve, perspectives on cars tend to change as well. Our work is to take one step ahead of such trends and stay committed to integrate both Samsung and HARMAN’s infrastructure and technologies to keep the engine running to lead the ever-changing industry.”