Smartwatch being developed by Audi so you can "Talk" to your car

At the CES 2015, Audi turned heads not only for its partly autonomous A7, but also a new smartwatch developed in partnership with LG that literally communicates with the new S7. This wearable watch is flanked by a set of buttons complete with a stainless steel construction and dominated by a crown. LG already has two Android powered smartwatches in production most recently the G watch R, which looks a lot like the Moto 360. But the smartwatch developed for Audi is definitely nothing like anything you’ve seen pop out of LG’s production house and runs webOS rather than android, and the company plans to release this device by early 2016.

The webOS software was acquired by LG from HP in 2013, where it was showcased on some of its Smart TV’s at the CES 2014. But this year, LG displayed more of the latest version of webOS 2.0 software on its newer TV’s. One of the unique features of the Audi and LG smartwatch is that it can be used without a smartphone, but still has cellular capabilities and fully supports third party applications.

The smartwatch journey was conceived by Samsung with the inception of the Galaxy Gear in 2013. Motorola also offers a unique smartwatch, not in terms of technology, but design with a superb round display seen in the Moto 360. The Audi smartwatch introduced by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, an Audi board member is mated directly with Audi’s autonomous A7 prototype and the S7 model. It allows the driver or the watch wearer in this case to directly communicate with the vehicle. How this technology will affect car insurance premiums is still unknown.

In a demonstration at the CES 2015, the smartwatch was made to unlock the vehicle, but according to sources, some of the other functionalities of the smartwatch will include controlling the temperature inside the cabin, windows, engine and other similar aspects of the vehicle. The Audi smartwatch uses NFC based technology, so even if your watch battery runs dry, you will still be able to into your vehicle in the event you get locked out.

Audi offered no further details on the smartwatch, but did refer to it as a “Mobile Key”. It is also unclear if this watch will be part of the LG range of smartwatches or an exclusive smartwatch designed for Audi. The Audi smartwatch is reminiscent of the days of the Knight Rider, only it does not summon the vehicle from your parking space, but only unlocks it, until now that is!