FACE

How to present the complexity of a technological research project and make it understandable and attractive at professional events?

The CEA’s Laboratoire d’intégration de systèmes et des technologies (List) has entrusted Design Spot and the designer Christophe Thélisson with the conception of a mobile demonstrator to present their “FACE” project to automotive industry professionals.

Developed with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, this innovative electronic architecture solution will make it easier to add new features to the connected and autonomous vehicle of the future. The demonstrator was exhibited in Japan and at CES 2019 in Las Vegas, an annual international exhibition dedicated to technological innovation in electronics.

Inspired by a laboratory bench, the structure consists of a base and a work surface on which the FACE system is deployed. The technology is explained through two screens, one presenting the human-machine interfaces, the other presents the tools developed by the laboratory, as well as a set of electronic elements (sensors, ECUs…) fixed on a base representing a car silhouette. Placed under the ECUs, several light sources simulate processor activity and wave from green to red depending on the intensity of the computing load. Everything is synchronized in real time to show the operation and the different possibilities of the system in several situations.

To meet the constraints of storage and transport costs, the demonstrator is mobile, flexible and lightweight. Its walls can be easily dismantled and turned around to become a transport box. Particular attention has also been paid to the choice of materials to make the equipment robust, to ensure a better impact and scratch resistance and thus increase its service life.