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Cars of the future will have massage rollers, swivelling seats and let 'drivers' lie back and relax: Designs reveal how self-driving vehicles could look by 2035

A seat technology firm has unveiled its design for a futuristic car interior
Designs were unveiled at 66th International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt
The sketches suggest passengers will face each other in the car of the future and the driver's seat will become a comfortable control unit
Experts predict this 'paradigm shift' will happen in around 2035

Published: 07:08 EST, 16 September 2015 | Updated: 09:43 EST, 16 September 2015

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From Google to BMW, the race is on to develop self-driving cars that will make roads safer, but key features about how comfortable they will be inside has been lacking.

A design by seat technology firm Johnson Controls, however, suggests passengers will face each other in the car of the future and the 'driver's seat' will be replaced by a comfortable control unit.

It predicts this 'paradigm shift' will happen in around 2035.

A design by seat technology firm Johnson Controls suggests passengers will face each other (pictured) in the car of the future and the driver's seat will become a comfortable control unit

'Autonomous driving is on its way,' said Dr Detlef Jürss, group vice president at Johnson Controls.

'It is not something that will happen overnight, though, but rather over a period of gradual development.'

'In the future, the role of the person in the driver's seat will shift from that of an "active driver" to that of a "supervisor" who must be able to intervene whenever necessary.

'The seat will become a multi-talented interior component that provides its strengths in safety, comfort, and entertainment.'

Dr Detlef Jürss, group vice president at Johnson Controls, predicts a futuristic car interior with swivelling seats (illustrated) that allow the driver to play on a tablet instead of looking at the road. However, he said this technology is still decades away from being rolled out more widely

However, he believes this vision is a still decades away, as are cars where the vehicle takes over all control functions, effectively making the driver a passenger.

The company predicted there will be 'minimal' change to interiors in 2025, as consumers start to buy 'driverless cars' which still require input from a driver.

But from 2035 onwards, it said there will be a 'potential paradigm shift' in interiors as drivers will only need to type in their desired destination.

Future seats will be more comfortable and could even include features such as massage rollers, armrests and pneumatic side bolsters, which will enable the seat position to be adjusted ergonomically to individual needs and long journeys.

'The seat will become the driver's partner for comfort and health,' Dr Jürss said.

The company said there will be 'minimal' change to interiors in 2025, as consumers start to buy 'driverless cars' which still require input from a driver. A chart predicting changes is shown above

The future role of the seat as a 'comfortable control unit' could also include the possibility of a crash-resistant resting position. The design of the firm's seat is shown

The future role of the seat as a 'comfortable control unit' could also include the possibility of a crash-resistant resting position, possibly with passengers facing backwards.

The company already makes a reclining seat, similar to business class seats on an aircraft, and this includes sophisticated sensor technology that raises the seat to an upright position in the event of a crash.

As well as being safer, seats in autonomous cars will be geared towards entertainment, as drivers won't need to pay as much attention to the road ahead.

'The seats of the future must offer the occupant, as a passive driver, all possible options for work, entertainment, and communication while traveling,' continued Dr Jürss.

'We can also envisage making the unused front passenger seat more flexible, turning it into an additional mobile office or living space when unoccupied, and offering non-slip compartments for personal items, drinks or electronic devices, which can also be charged wirelessly.

The company showed off its vision at the 66th International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt.

MERCEDES' VISION FOR THE FUTURE

Johnson Controls is not the only company predicting people will face each other while sitting in autonomous cars.

Earlier this week Mercedes announced it is considering developing a line of luxury autonomous cars, and its F 015 model already has four seats facing each other with a table in the middle.

Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche told the IAA Frankfurth Auto Show in Germany that the company hoped to target the luxury limousine market with its autonomous vehicles. He is pictured above stepping out of the Mercedes-Benz F 015 autonomous research vehicle ahead of his speech as the show

Speaking at the IAA Frankfurt Auto Show , Dieter Zetsche, chief executive of Daimler, which owns Mercedes, said his firm was aiming to use the driverless technology to expand its car2go car sharing service.

He said: 'It would be even more convenient if the car came to you autonomously.

'And it would be extremely practical if the car2go appeared without needing to be prompted, once my appointment in the calendar had come to an end.'

Mercedes' F 015 is described with the tag line 'Luxury in Motion.

Complete with a Night Rider-style LED light display on the front grille, the four-seater vehicle can be summoned using a smartphone app and features built in displays in the doors.

The vehicle even talks to pedestrians to let them know when it is safe to cross the road, replacing the eye contact that would normally be made with the driver.

It also uses a laser display projected onto the road in front of it to let other road users know what its next manoeuvre is likely to be.

The vehicle has four space-age style seats that swivel 360 degrees while the dashboard display can be controlled with gestures and eye-tracking technology.

The Mercedes-Benz F015 driverless car aims to bring the luxury of a limousine to autonomous vehicles. It features four space-age style seats and gesture-controlled displays on the doors and dashboard