Knightrider Seatbox & Driving Simulator
2016 | HERE GmbH
CES Las Vegas
Production Team
Mark Pearce
Stephan Scheunig
Chris Thompson
Hector Sanchez-Pajarez
Matthias Viranyi
Holger Storm
Roland Heuger
Ruggero Baracco
Stefano Trento
Tero Huttunen
Kalle Bertell
The Seatbox is a flexible tool for prototyping automotive experiences. It includes a driving simulator on HERE's 3D maps, sending GPS data to a central server for connected clients. Its configurable design allows testing of different screens, components, and inputs.
The Seatbox is built on a flexible aluminum frame with adjustable clamps, allowing easy reconfiguration to fit project needs. It features a standard display setup with a cluster, center screen, and large reflected HUD. Room lighting is controlled by the simulation for dynamic testing, while 3D sound and speaker setups provide spatial audio.
Advanced head and eye tracking enable precise interaction and measurement. Mobile devices can connect to the comms server, supporting companion experiences and system control.
Hardware Components
Head and Eye Tracking
By tracking the driver's head position, we dynamically adjust HUD graphics to create a “contact analogue” effect, making images appear attached to the real world. High-precision eye tracking allows us to use gaze as an input for the vehicle HMI and determine what the driver is looking at.
Turn by Turn Maneuvers
Arrival Location Indication
Visual Selection
3D World Simulation
The driving simulation, built in Unity with accurate 3D maps, spoofs GPS coordinates to the comms server. It also reports virtual "CAN bus" data, relaying vehicle status like speed and braking.
Communication Server
The comms server, built with Node.js and MQTT, serves as the central hub, managing simulation data and synchronizing it across connected clients.
Multiple Software Clients
The system is client-agnostic. Each output device has its own software client, and mobile or external devices can connect to use simulation data as needed.