Holoride, a German technology company spun off by Audi, has teamed up with Ford Motor Co. and Universal Pictures to offer what it says is the first in-vehicle virtual reality experience available to the public.
The experience is being offered for free from Monday, Oct. 14, through Nov. 9 at Universal CityWalk Hollywood in Los Angeles to promote the upcoming remake of Bride of Frankenstein. Riders in a fleet of 2020 Ford Explorers wear a virtual-reality headset that uses navigational and driving data to create an immersive experience that adapts to the vehicle’s movement.
Holoride said riders will face virtual monsters and obstacles on a journey to deliver a message to the Frankenstein monster. The Explorers have advanced connectivity added specifically for the experience and share steering, acceleration and speed data that’s used by the virtual-reality technology to create “elastic content.”
Said Brett Wheatley, Ford’s vice president of mobility marketing and growth: “This collaboration allows us to showcase the promise of the connected vehicle and get essential customer feedback on what they want and don’t want in terms of immersive in-car entertainment experiences.”