Mitsubishi Electric's EMIRAI concept goes back to the future, refuses to fly (video)
The Jetsons were a lie, people. If you want a flying car, glue a parachute to a Matchbox racer. Automotive companies like Mitsubishi Electric have a distinctly different idea about our auto future, one where we'll all be driving in a 1980s-by-way-of-2011 Tron roadster with seatback-embedded (glasses-free) 3D TVs and a big 'ol curved rear projection display. At least, that's the vision put forth by the company's EMIRAI concept, shown off at this year's Tokyo Motor Show. The demo vehicle's biggest innovation, supposedly on deck for the next decade and beyond, is its biometrically-sensitive interface, which can adjust the position of your seat based on current heart rate and facial temperature. There's also a driver side touch panel configured to recognize handwriting (Japanese, for now) and dynamically-changing buttons, mounted on the W-shaped "steering wheel," that rise and fall in correlation to the dashboard's UI. It's neat stuff, no doubt, but we'll let you go ahead and get excited at your own risk. Because until production models hit showroom floors, it's all still very much promises, promises. Check out the video after the break for a brief peek at the wheels of tomorrow.
