Kia is working on a unique in-car audio system which will allow each passenger in a car to listen to their preferred track at the same time. So, while the driver would like to listen to Jazz, the front passenger can listen to something else and the kids in the back can listen to what they like. All this would be possible without using headphones.
Kia is determined to make the Separated Sound Zone (SSZ) technology a reality even when the prospects of it working efficiently are pretty weak. Kia will use this technology in its upcoming vehicles.
The system works just like noise-cancelling headphones, where acoustic zones are isolated to minimize extra noise. The SSZ will constitute of a number of speakers which will work at different acoustics fields, allowing each passenger to enjoy the music of their liking.
To make it work, users will connect their mobile devices to the infotainment system via Bluetooth. What one passenger will hear won’t be heard by the other one. Similarly, the driver specific information like navigation will only be heard by the driver.
Kia states their R&D department has been working hard since 2014 to make this in-car audio technology a reality. We expect to see the SSZ working in the next couple of years.