Engineering the Passenger Experience in Level 4 Autonomous Vehicles
KDAB helped MOTOR Ai, a Berlin-based autonomous driving pioneer, build a scalable, calming Human-Machine Interface (HMI) for the future of mobility.
At a Glance
- Customer: MOTOR Ai
- Industry: Autonomous Driving
- Challenge: Creating a scalable passenger-facing HMI for Level 4 driverless vehicles that delivers the reassurance traditionally provided by a human driver.
- Solution: A seamless integration of a 2D UI built with Slint and a custom, lightweight 3D engine to visualize the vehicle's surroundings.
- Technologies: Slint, Custom 3D Engine, C++, UI/UX Design.
The Challenge: Reimagining Passenger Interaction
MOTOR Ai, the only German company pioneering Level 4 autonomous driving in Europe, offers autonomous mobility solutions. In a Level 4 vehicle, the car drives itself entirely. Thus, when entering a driverless vehicle, all former tasks prior handled by humans, need to be replaced by a sophisticated passenger-facing HMI. It displays route and system information cleanly and simply, without overwhelming the user.
The Solution: A Serene and Scalable Interface
KDAB collaborated with MOTOR Ai to design and build an interface that acts as the passenger's primary point of reference. The goal was to cultivate a sense of comfort and ease for the user and at the same time avoid overwhelmingly complex technological readouts.
KDAB engineered a dual-component software solution:
Slint is utilized as the core framework for the 2D application. Because the HMI must be deployed across various vehicle types featuring vastly different screen aspect ratios - from extremely ultra-wide displays to vertical portrait screens - Slint provides the perfect foundation to ensure the UI scales seamlessly across all platforms and hardware.
To assure passengers that the vehicle is constantly aware of its surroundings, KDAB integrated a 3D component powered by an efficient, custom 3D engine. This engine takes the complex data from the autonomous system and renders buildings, vehicles, and the environment in a stylized, monochromatic aesthetic.
KDAB’s architecture pushes the texture from the custom 3D engine directly into the Slint framework, creating a unified, highly optimized display for the user.
The Result: Engineering Calmness
For MOTOR Ai, the success of the HMI is not measured by flashy technology, but by the psychological comfort of the passenger. Combining clear 2D routing information with a serene, real-time 3D representation of the vehicle's environment, KDAB helped MOTOR Ai achieve a user experience that is intentionally "calm and almost mundane." The interface serves as a comforting point of reference, allowing passengers to feel safe, informed and taken care of on their journey. Looking into the future, MOTOR Ai and KDAB want to continue their collaboration, to expand the interface's features and shape the next generation of autonomous transit.