Recent Tesla hire might have spoiled one of the Model 3’s biggest surprises

[Wireless News]

BGR has learned that Tesla recently hired Milan Kovac, the former principal engineer over at Skully Systems. In case you're unfamiliar, Skully is the company behind a futuristic motorcycle helmet with a built-in heads up display (HUD). While Tesla hires talented engineers all the time, Kovac's background is particularly interesting given the recent unveiling of the Model 3 and its curiously sparse dashboard. As we've detailed previously, the interior design of the Model 3 raised more than a few eyebrows due to its lack of a traditional instrument cluster. As the photo below demonstrates, the only place where a driver can ascertain-his or her speed and other pertinent driving information is from the 15-inch video display on the center console. Notably, a Tesla rep at the Model 3 unveiling confirmed that the final production model will in fact lack a traditional instrument cluster. DON'T MISS:- HTC 10 review: An exciting new flagship phone that’s better in every way Subsequently, Tesla CEO Elon Musk alleviated concerns about the peculiar design choice via-Twitter, noting that everything will make more sense soon. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/716713294128500737 Consequently, many have been quick to assume that the final production version of the Model 3 will incorporate a HUD. And that's where Kovac's expertise may come into play. While at Skully, Kovac helped develop the Skully AR-1 , the first consumer-oriented intelligent HUD motorcycle helmet. The helmet, which we covered back when it was still an Indiegogo project getting off the ground , utilizes a transparent heads up display-to present riders-with pertinent and glanceable information such as visual navigation and speed. "The SKULLY AR-1 brings fighter pilot Heads-Up Display technology to motorcycle helmets," the company boasts on its website. A short promotional video of the helmet and its underlying technology can be seen below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdcWd594lRw Now according to Kovac's LinkedIn profile, he's currently working on Autopilot technology at Tesla. This makes sense given that without the digital dash Tesla implemented with the Model S, a Model 3 with Autopilot enabled will likely have to display pertinent Autopilot-related information on a HUD. It's also worth noting that Kovac a few years back spent some time working at Softkinetic, a Belgium-based company that prides itself as being the "world’s leading provider of 3D vision and gesture recognition solution." Interestingly, Softkinetic's-gesture control-technology is already being used in the BMW 2015 Series 7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVZYK-k_nm4 Is is it possible that this represents sneak peek at some of the surprises that the Model 3 might have in store? It's hard to say, but it's clear that Tesla has brought on board a talented engineer who will more than likely be doing some interesting work in sprucing up the Model 3 driving experience. Two additional-points of interest are worth noting. First, Elon Musk previously stated that the Model 3 steering wheel will look like a spaceship and will have no shortage of controls. That being the case, imagine a fully decked out steering wheel capable of controlling-a gigantic HUD on the windshield. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/716729420078133248 Second, Tesla recently hired the man responsible for the interior design of Porsche's Mission E. Of particular interest is that the Mission E dashboard featured a holographic display along with a number of other futuristic controls. Taking a step back and looking at all these developments together, it's clear that the final production version of the Model 3 will have an incredibly futuristic interior and may very well send reservations into the stratosphere.

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