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CES 2026: Cars become living spaces
Alps Alpine presents a tech approach that treats the vehicle cabin as an adaptive environment shaped by humans, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK.
Cars once centered on driving alone. The cabin existed to support mechanical control, with little consideration for how people actually occupied the space over time. At CES 2026 in Las Vegas this week, Alps Alpine is demonstrating a focus that rests firmly inside the vehicle. In this environment, sensing systems and feedback mechanisms reshape the cabin into a space that responds to people rather than instructions.
The company offers no dramatic concept shells or futuristic mock-ups. Instead, visitors step into a realistic vehicle interior designed to demonstrate how coordinated sensing changes everyday interactions inside a car.
Central to the display is a multi-modal camera system that combines standard imaging with infrared and depth sensing. Each element already appears in modern vehicles, but Alps Alpine integrates them into a single platform that observes the cabin as a unified space.
The system identifies seating position, body movement and posture changes throughout a journey. It adapts to varying lighting conditions, maintaining consistent performance in daylight, dusk and night driving. This shared stream of data feeds safety and comfort functions that depend on accurate occupant awareness.
Airbag deployment, seatbelt control and child-presence detection rely on precise information. A unified sensing platform reduces inconsistencies that arise when separate systems interpret the same environment differently.
Removing visual clutter
Another demonstration centres on an under-display camera embedded beneath the dashboard screen. Interior cameras often interrupt design lines, forcing compromises between aesthetics and function. By placing the camera beneath the display surface, Alps Alpine preserves sensing capability while freeing designers from visible hardware constraints.
The result supports interiors that feel less cluttered. As vehicle cabins increasingly resemble living spaces, visual simplicity affects long-term comfort and usability.
Sight and sound dominate vehicle feedback today. Alps Alpine extends communication through haptic feedback built into interior surfaces. Steering elements and door panels deliver vibrations that guide attention through touch.
A lane deviation alert, for example, registers as a directional sensation rather than an audible warning. The driver receives information without diverting visual focus. Haptics combine with spatial audio and visual cues that align in purpose, reinforcing the message through multiple senses.
Feedback reaches occupants through the channel best suited to the moment, reducing reliance on screens and alerts.
Behaviour shaped by context
The system adapts its responses based on driving conditions and cabin activity. During steady driving, feedback remains restrained. In more demanding situations, cues become more pronounced.
This approach ensures that interaction scales with circumstance. The vehicle responds to what is happening rather than delivering uniform signals throughout a journey. Over time, this balance influences how occupants experience long drives and complex traffic conditions.
For vehicle manufacturers, the appeal extends beyond experience design. Integrated sensing platforms simplify production and calibration while reducing the number of discrete components installed across model ranges.
Regulatory requirements around occupant detection and driver monitoring continue to evolve. Systems that combine multiple sensing methods provide richer data without adding layers of hardware. This supports compliance while maintaining flexibility in interior design.
Design teams benefit from fewer visible sensors and predictable system behaviour. Materials, lighting and layout choices gain greater freedom when technology recedes into the background.
Occupants experience a cabin that adapts to their presence through use rather than configuration.
CES regularly highlights advances in autonomy, displays and processing power. Alps Alpine’s demos suggest a different metric for progress inside vehicles. Instead of adding layers of interaction, it refines how systems respond to human behaviour.
*Arthur Goldstuck is CEO of World Wide Worx, editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za, and author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI – The African Edge.
