Car Design News partners with Epic Games for HMI design competition

Human Machine Interface (HMI) is both the greatest opportunity and the biggest challenge for car brands, which is why Car Design News has joined forces with Epic Games to launch the Unreal Engine HMI Design Challenge. 

Unreal Engine is an advanced digital design tool best known for its use in the gaming industry. However, increasing numbers of car brands are using the tool to design the HMI aspect of their cars, from start-ups like Rivian to established players such as General Motors. 

The “Unreal Engine HMI Design Challenge” is a community-based challenge looking for designers and hobbyists to create new concepts that revolutionise traditional human-machine interfaces and provide a glimpse into the future of in-vehicle experiences. 

We are asking competition entrants to use the tool to make a driver feel ‘adventurous, or luxurious, or sporty’.  

What are the judges looking for? 

Representatives from Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Rivian, among many others make up the expert panel for this years’ challenge. The judges will assess how well entrants incorporate a polished HMI into their design, while considering the feeling of adventure, luxury or sport to transport passengers into the cockpit. 

This project is about creative freedom and will be assessed purely on design language, please ensure this is the focus of your work rather than design implementation. 

Who can enter?

Anyone is eligible to submit their HMI concepts regardless of their background or experience in design. Whether you are an architect, artist or gameplay designer by trade, this is a fantastic opportunity to have your concepts reviewed by design leads from some of the world’s most innovative automotive manufacturers.  

While we encourage participants from diverse backgrounds, we want to make sure all entries are judged on an equal playing field. To that end, all participants will be required to use the same design templates for the contest.  

What can you win?

• The chance to have your concept developed further with a designer from the panel of judges
• Winning concepts will be featured in prestigious car industry book Car Design Review
• One year subscription to Car Design News and biannual print magazine Interior Motives 

For more information and to download the design template go here.

Deadline for entries is 31 March