A holographic touchscreen is one segment of an inside of the future concept that BMW will present next month at CES (formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show). BMW HoloActive Touch that is dubbed, is described as “a virtual touchscreen”. It is described with a free-floating display that answers to finger touches and makes “what the driver perceives as tactile feedback.”

BMW describes the technology as element combination of a head-up display, its own gesture controls, and a usual touchscreen. The virtual display is a projection that shows at the right side of the steering wheel on top of the center console. It lets the driver to control cars functions so as those of apps that are connected BMW.

The idea seems to make the Air Touch technology that BMW showed in an i8 roadster concept at last year’s CES

The idea seems to make the Air Touch technology that BMW showed in an i8 roadster concept at last year’s CES. That version needed virtual touch commands that should be confirmed by pressing the button. Nothing left to said about that here.

HoloActive Touch is one segment of what BMW is calling its “i Inside Future study,” which is asserted to be a look to the future of automobile inside. Similar, the company isn’t making promises of how soon it will happen before we’re able to see a hologram in a real BMW. It highlight that today’s gesture control that is available in the current 7-series and the new 5-series CES concept that was available a just two years ago. Is HoloActive Touch less an imitation? We will see it all in January.