The HoliActive Touch system will generate a holographic, full-colour display in the interior of the car BMW

BMW is taking the touch out of touchscreen with its new HoloActive Touch system, which will bring holographic screens into its future cars.

The interface acts like a virtual touchscreen; so for the first time functions in a BMW car can be controlled without any physical contact with materials.


BMW is known for bringing out its new, flashy tech at CES. It unveiled its gesture control technology in 2015, which is now available in the BMW 5 and BMW 7 Series models. Last year, it debuted the AirTouch system, allowing car owners to use simple gestures with an open hand to activate control pads on a panoramic dashboard display, without having to touch the control interface.

HoloActive Touch is moving this technology one step further. The image of the holographic, full-colour display is generated by reflections, appearing as a free-floating form within the interior rather than a projection on the windscreen. It has been developed to display configurable control pads and will be visible to the driver next to the steering wheel at the height of the centre console.

A camera in the car detects the driver’s hand movements and registers the position of their fingertips. As soon as a fingertip makes contact with a virtual control surface, a pulse is emitted and the relevant function is activated; whether that is changing a song or making a phone call. The software will work with BMW Connected, the personal mobility assistant available on iOS, to connect drivers to Spotify, the internet and GPS seamlessly.

There’s no word from BMW yet on when the technology will be available in consumer cars so for now, we will have to settle for the current gesture control systems.

The German company isn’t the only carmaker showcasing its new technology at CES. Startup Faraday Future revealed its new model the FF91, the fastest ever fully electric car. If the vehicle is released in 2018 as planned, it will be the second fastest product car in the world, behind only the Porsche 918 Spyder. There’s no word on how much the car will actually cost, but customers can fork out a $5,000 (£4,080) deposit to secure their chance of getting one of the vehicles.