The 2026 safety tests reward accessible controls for essential functions. For smart-surface designers, the message is not to abandon digital interfaces but to choose the
Optical force sensing can detect microscopic surface movement, offering a route to controls hidden behind metal, glass or decorative trim without relying solely on capacitive
ams OSRAM has joined an industry standards effort for short-reach optical data links. The interesting crossover is the use of micro-emitter expertise developed for pixelated
ams OSRAM’s ALIYOS Bond Vision demonstrator integrates LED-on-foil lighting with display optics, touch and haptics. It is a particularly clear example of the automotive surface
A backlit grille, mode-dependent cabin lighting and a concealed control surface make the Cuorerosso concept a study in how illumination can support both brand identity
Aviation’s long-running use of dynamic cabin lighting suggests a more functional role for automotive ambient light: helping occupants adapt to time, journey and state. Source
The more sophisticated premium interiors become, the stronger the pressure to make their technology visually disappear. Source date: 2025-2026 Primary organisation: Cross-industry interiors More
Transparent Micro LED is moving towards automotive production, turning glazing and open-view surfaces into potential information layers rather than blank apertures. Source date: 2026 Primary
Printed and flexible electronics research is moving beyond simple conductive tracks towards computation, sensing and intelligence on thin, conformable substrates. Source date: 2025-2026 Primary organisation:
Continental and nobilia have hidden a working display, touch controls and other functions behind decorative surfaces – an interior concept with obvious automotive implications. Source
Marelli’s Flat Lit Surface combines OLED and Folia-LED rear lighting with personalised content and software-enabled functionality, pointing to a different product lifecycle for lamps. Source
Honda’s Super-ONE links cabin illumination to BOOST mode, adding light to the sound, display and powertrain cues that communicate vehicle state. Source date: 21 May
LG Display’s 16-inch Dual View OLED can present different images to driver and passenger from the same panel, offering a new answer to dashboard screen
MicroLED and high-resolution digital lighting are no longer being reserved solely for flagship cars, signalling a familiar technology adoption curve. Source date: 2025-2026 Primary organisation:
High-resolution automotive projection is moving beyond welcome graphics, with suppliers demonstrating systems that can place dynamic content onto the road and surrounding environment. Source date:
BMW Panoramic iDrive moves information into a full-width windscreen zone while the iX3 interior uses light and material to reduce the visual dominance of conventional
An Opel Grandland research vehicle uses colour, displays and AI to explore how automated vehicles could communicate with pedestrians when eye contact disappears Source date:
