Sharp, Foxconn Develop LDK+ “Extended Living Room” Electric Van Concept

At its recent Tech-Day 2024 innovation showcase event, Sharp showed off a new electric van concept called LDK+, designed to be an “extended living room” that can be occupied and used extensively when stationary. While focusing on comfort and sustainable living, the LDK+ EV concept is meant to demonstrate how living spaces, technology, and energy are interconnected. Sharp says this concept van showcases how its proprietary AI, sensing, and IoT technology can be used.

The LDK+ EV was co-developed by Sharp and based on a Foxconn open EV platform. It also uses charging infrastructure and would leverage after-sales service from Japanese commercial EV startup Folofly.

Sharp imagines that the LDK+ EV can be used as a remote office, space for children to play, or a personal cinema, among many other things. The interior of the LDK+ concept features liquid crystal shutters on the side windows, which can darken to create privacy and separation of spaces. Its rear seats can rotate so they face a sliding retractable table and a 65-inch display at the back. Air conditioning and lighting are automatically adjusted based on the owner’s preferences, which the van’s AI learns from other connected home appliances and sensors. 

The interior of the LDK+ EV features rutating rear seats, a retractable work surface, and a large screen. 

The concept is outfitted with solar panels and batteries, but can also be connected to a smart home’s grid for optimised charging and holistic power management. The EV will also be able to power a home in the event of a power outage or grid disruption. 

Sharp’s proprietary CE-LLM (Communication Edge Large Language Model) shifts the AI processing workload from the cloud to the LDK+ EV itself, for quicker responses and more natural real-time interactions.

Other developments shown off at the Tech-Day 2024 event include high-quality virtual AI avatars, transparent augmented reality glasses, cameras with ultra-fast autofocus to mimic the human eye, AI odour sensing and air purification technology, a customer service solution powered by generative AI, a virtual healthcare assistant and trainer, a smart mirror that can sense health parameters, a low-noise vacuum cleaner, high-efficiency solar panels for use in outer space, a portable instant 5G cellular base station, and a high-precision indoor positioning system.