Genesis Offers Augmented Reality Owner’s Manual

Automakers have innovated just about everything inside cars these days, but the owner’s manual is one not-so-obvious exception. Now, Genesis is taking the owner’s manual out of the glovebox and into an interactive smartphone app. Drivers can use their smartphone’s camera to scan a part of their vehicle they want to learn more about, and the app pulls up all the necessary information.

The fancy owner’s manual, called the Genesis Virtual Guide, is available for the 2017 G80 and G90 sedans. It will be compatible with 2018 models later this year. Hyundai has been experimenting with the concept since at least 2015.

Using 2D and 3D tracking technology, the Virtual Guide tells drivers information about many parts of the vehicle. Positioning the smartphone camera on the engine bay will give drivers maintenance instructions for each part of the engine, and drivers can also take pictures of the car’s front, rear, or trunk to learn more about these exterior features.

Open the doors, and the augmented reality experience continues. The app generates a 360-degree virtual reality experience of the car’s interior, allowing the user to move his or her smartphone around the interior to learn more information about different components. A scanner uses the smartphone’s camera to identify different buttons inside the cabin and educate owners about them through videos. Another tool explains the meaning of the different warning lights and pop-up messages that can appear on the instrument cluster.

Through videos, the app can virtually identify and educate owners about the car’s smart cruise control, Bluetooth phone pairing, clock, and the air filter, not to mention the fuse box, engine oil, brake fluid, battery jump start, washer fluid, and spare tire installation.

This isn’t the only way Genesis has made its vehicles more connected. The luxury brand rolled out an app earlier this year allowing owners to control the locks, lights, and other features on their cars remotely via smartwatch. You can also command your Genesis from the comfort of your home via Amazon Alexa.

The Genesis Virtual Guide is available as a free download on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Source: Genesis

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