Automotive technology has come a long way. Technology advancements now include various key components of vehicle infotainment systems. One such component, the Rear Seat Entertainment (RSE) system, started as a mountable DVD player for car passengers but is now almost akin to a home theatre system. Soon, it will become a portable technology hub.

The global market for automotive RSE technology is growing fast. In fact, it is expected to reach $361 million by 2025. This rapid growth is bringing new players who are trying to define the future of RSEs. The forces driving these developments and related business opportunities are no longer just about the car. Today, it’s all about the larger connected ecosystem that is part of the automobile.

Understanding the changes shaping the future of RSEs

To better understand the changes underway, consider the five main forces shaping the future of RSE technology.

1. Changing Industry
   As vehicles become more autonomous, the best seat in the car won’t be the driver’s seat – it will be the rear passenger’s seat. As autonomous cars become a reality, the RSE is more likely to resemble a home theatre system or a workplace extension that includes access to email, video conferencing, and seamless handover between mobile devices/tablets and RSE.
   
   The biggest threat to car manufacturers today is not the competition or the changing technological landscape. It’s the loss of relevance and difficulty adapting to the customer. Continuous innovation is no longer a luxury; it’s required
    
2. Changing Expectations
   RSEs have evolved from being after-market products to an integral part of the cockpit. Connected displays will provide immersive cockpit experiences where content is shared seamlessly across displays. This will engage the rear-seat passenger with compelling experiences involving standalone devices, streamed content, and other services. In the future, content delivery will include smart content delivered using both in-car and cloud connectivity in various forms (TV, OTT, BID). New revenue streams and value added services will be possible with connections to ecosystems like Amazon Fire OS.
    
3. Changing Mindsets
   The traditional mindsets regarding vehicles are changing. The car as a shared product is becoming reality, meaning that as vehicles are shared by multiple users, the ability to configure and personalize the RSE becomes important. In addition, taking cars to the office has changed. Users want to remain productive even as they commute, presenting opportunities to empower them to perform “workplace” actions such as attending meetings and checking emails. Comfort will also become a key feature, with personalization options down to the preferred heating, ventilation, and HVAC settings allowing all passengers to customize their environment.
    
4. Changing Infrastructure
   Advancements in connectivity enable passengers of all types to consume rich content. Connectivity of brought-in devices helps users enjoy smartphone content on larger displays, much like in-flight entertainment, with LTE Advanced or 5G technology making 4K TV content on wheels a reality. Value-added connectivity services, such as identifying the nearest charging station or managing connected home devices from the car, are already part of the package, while future technology advancements will be easy with software and security updates delivered using new disruption-free techniques.
    
5. Changing Implementation
   In keeping with new requirements, the implementation of RSEs has undergone a sea of change. RSEs will soon be implemented as a dedicated, feature-rich electronic control unit (ECU) rather than an extended display, and building on top of rich operating systems like Amazon’s Fire OS. In turn, connected services will be built using service-oriented architecture platforms, with the availability of a digital marketplace architecture acting as the enabler for this scale of offering. To accommodate this change, the immersive cockpit experience capability of RSEs should be implemented as part of domain controllers, like a Cockpit Controller, and hosted either directly on hypervisor or in a containerized environment. 
   
   Productivity and home automation will be possible by integrating with video conferencing applications like Skype or email clients like Outlook, while connected IoT will allow control of home appliances. Meanwhile, RSEs will integrate with tuners and support built-in DTV stacks to provide rich content consumption.

Business Opportunities from RSE Systems

As the automotive RSE ecosystem widens, new value streams will emerge. Probable business opportunities that will bring new players into the space include:

• Enabling the delivery of over-the-top (OTT) content like Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu will be available through cloud managed platforms.
• There will be more scope for IoT, analytics, and intuitive mobile apps and solutions for car owner convenience and monetization.
• New value stream opportunities will include conveniences like purchasing groceries or booking a table at your favourite coffee shop while on the go.
• Click analytics will help understand usage patterns and enable collection of data for targeted advertisements.

An example of the expanding RSE ecosystem is Amazon Fire OS integration. They are progressing with ambitions plans to capture the RSE market through Fire OS which is a customized version of Android running on Amazon’s flagship devices. Amazon is expanding its Fire TV program to automakers and has announced partnerships with BMW and Fiat Chrysler Automotive. Amazon’s focus has been enabling a living-room experience in the car, including support for Alexa, a touchscreen interface, and offline playback features specially designed to improve user experience.

What can you expect from a state-of-the-art RSE system?

These are just a few features that are expected to be present on state-of-the-art RSEs in the near future:

Building blocks for RSE systems

To enable these new, dynamic capabilities, some fundamental building blocks are required. The choice of blocks is left to system designers; the references below are only indicative of a few building blocks to consider and are not intended to be an exhaustive list.

1. Hypervisors/Containers: Designers need to select a host device for the RSE on a bare metal hypervisor or in a container providing an isolated environment to run an RSE instance. Compelling offerings for hypervisors are available from QNX, GHS, Open Synergy and VMWare. In the containerized environment, Docker and LxC have good solutions.
2. Connectivity: Designers have to consider integration with popular wired or wireless connectivity technologies. For short-range wired communication, USB would be the unanimous choice. For integration with the vehicle, Automotive Ethernet is growing rapidly in terms of adoption by car makers.
3. Operating Systems: Today’s RSE systems are a far cry from the days when real time operating systems (RTOS-es) and specialized low foot-print operating systems (OSes) ruled this space. The General Purpose OSes (GPOS-es) have taken over. With its popularity growing in the driver infotainment space, Android can be seen as a prime contender for developing RSE technology. Fire OS (a kind of spin-off from Android) is making a serious bid for dominance. Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) is another option.
4. Projection/Casting: This is an important aspect of the devices that are brought into the vehicle. Popular smartphone projection technologies include CarPlay (for iOS) and Android uto (for Android). Miracast is a prominent name in content casting.

Wipro as a valuable partner in your RSE journey 

The changing RSE technology landscape will require a new set of skills to participate and stay relevant in this field. Wipro, the world’s first company to receive Automotive SPICETM Level 5 certification in 2006, is partner to seven out the top 10 global automotive OEMs and six of the top 10 Tier-1 suppliers. The team also holds 12 patents in the ADAS / AV space, with another 160 pending. With this expertise, Wipro is equipped to enable automotive OEMs and Tier-1s to make a mark in RSE technology. 

Wipro Automotive Software Team

The Wipro Automotive Software team has over two decades of experience in a variety of specialties including Industrial Automation, Automotive Infotainment, connected Cockpit, Tier-1/OEM programs, SCADA & Process Control System, Connected Lifestyle, Autonomous Work Vehicle, wireless communication technologies, functional safety, and cybersecurity.

Team members contributing to this article include Debasish Chanda, Practice Head, Mahesh N Wudali, NA Presales Head, Aravindan Paravasthu, Architect, and Goutam Nandy, Architect.

Aravindan Paravasthu
Architect – Automotive Software

Aravindan has been with Wipro for 14+ years, with work experience spanning across mobile, consumer electronics and automotive domains. He has contributed to several in-house competency building initiatives and the creation of intellectual property. While working on all layers of Android – from inception as a smartphone OS to the current foray in the automotive space – he has acquired considerable experience in wireless communication technologies like Bluetooth and WiFi.

Debasish Chanda
Practice Head – Automotive Software

Debasish has been with Wipro for 2 decades working extensively in mobile and automotive domains. His experience with automotive OEMs and Tier1s, includes complex programs for the connected cockpit ranging from platform to application level, including functional safety and cybersecurity. He is an inventor, holds 20 patents, and is a frequent speaker/trainer at various forums.

Goutam Nandy
Architect, HMI

Goutam has 2 decades of Embedded Systems and HMI work experience across various domains like Industrial Automation, Automotive Infotainment, SCADA & Process Control System etc. He has hands on experience in Hardware Development, Chip Level Debugging, repair activity with various sensors, and RF communication systems. Goutam has been part of Wipro Automotive Group & CoE with HMI and UI/UX consultancy roles supporting delivery with various PoCs, prototype design, and customer demo preparation like BMS, Multimodal HMI, Connected Lifestyle, Virtual Reality based Product Demonstration, Autonomous Work Vehicle etc.

Mahesh N Wudali
NA Presales Head – Automotive Software

Mahesh has been part of the Wipro Automotive group for the last 20 years and he has extensive experience working in the integrated and connected cockpit domain, developing, leading, and managing Tier-1/OEM production programs. In the last few years, he has been leading the business development group responsible for Automotive S/W for the North America region.