Infiniti SYNAPTIQ: The Man-Machine Alliance

Each year at the Los Angeles Auto Show, a design competition is held. Contestants have to work with a theme, while simultaneously showcasing their respective brand’s design language. This year, there were two prizes awarded: the regular one judged by a panel of designers, and another one voted on by attendees who chose the vehicle they preferred.

The first People’s Choice Award went to the Infiniti SYNAPTIQ, which was the manufacturer’s answer to the following question: how will cars interact with us in 2029?

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First of all, Infiniti went a step further when designing the SYNAPTIQ: they also invented a fictional championship for it to race in. The A.R.C. (Air, Rally, Circuit) competition can be summed up as an automotive triathlon: the car has to be able to tackle high-speed track-driving, off-road jumps and even an aerial gymkhana.

The SYNAPTIQ uses a full suite of holographic screens, 3D imaging and augmented reality to display as much relevant information as it can. To give the car super-human reaction time (and to justify the car’s name), the driver wears a race suit that suspends them in the middle of the cockpit. Then, a probe connects to their spine, enabling changes of direction as fast as the driver can think.