WayRay Holograktor mixes augmented reality into taxi of the future
A self-driving taxi with futuristic digital displays and crazy doors feels entirely appropriate for Cyber Monday...
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Swiss tech firm WayRay has appropriately chosen to reveal a futuristic ride hailing taxi concept on Cyber Monday, with intentions of readying the machine for production in as little as four years. As its name suggests, the WayRay Holograktor is designed around the theme of holographic displays, with glass that features augmented reality and a roof-mounted projector system. It’s an ultra-high-tech vision of the not-so-distant future for ride hailing taxi technology – and one that’s already caught the attention of WayRay investors Porsche, Hyundai and Alibaba.
“It is the first car in history to be designed around content consumption and interaction, as well as holographic glazing,” said WayRay founder Vitaly Ponomarev. “This is a car designed specifically for Zoomers [aka Generation Z], it’s for people who want to play and want to create and consume content.”
Measuring 4.4 metres in length (about the same as a Ford Focus), WayRay’s three-seater electric taxi can either be driven conventionally, or be controlled remotely via a 5G internet connection. WayRay chose to equip the car with three seats after research showed that more than 80% of Uber passengers travel on their own, so the Holograktor provides a more spacious rear space intended for lone-travellers. That said, there is also an extra passenger seat in the front.
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If you’re wondering what the Holograktor brings to the ride hailing taxi world, other than cool tech, there’s a real consumer benefit on offer – and it’s to do with pricing. Ponomarev said: “The idea [with the Holograktor] is you can choose Uber Black, Uber SUV or Uber Holograktor, and if you choose the Holograktor, your ride will be subsidised by sponsored content, so the price will be much lower”.
The Holograktor’s hardware can also display video games, so passengers can be kept entertained with an augmented reality view that they can control. With the digital screens covering such a wide area of a passenger’s view, they can fully immerse themselves into each game. That might make the traffic a little easier to bear with, whether it’s Cyber Monday or not!
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