MEET OKTO THE OCTOPUS - THE STAR OF BMW'S LATEST CAMPAIGN FOR THE NEUE KLASSE SYSTEMS
My Octopus Teacher" is a Netflix documentary about filmmaker Craig Foster's unusual friendship with a wild common octopus in a South African kelp forest. Over a year, Foster documents their interactions as he observes the octopus's daily life, leading to a deep bond and a profound impact on his own life. The film explores themes of human-animal connection, the fragility of life, and the importance of conservation. Foster, experiencing burnout, begins diving daily in a kelp forest near Cape Town. He encounters a wild octopus and begins to observe her, developing an unusual relationship. Over several months, Foster tracks the octopus, visiting her den and documenting her life. He learns about her intelligence, hunting techniques, camouflage abilities, and interactions with other sea creatures. The octopus's life, including her struggles and eventual death, profoundly affects Foster. He experiences personal growth, developing a deeper appreciation for nature, and becoming an advocate for marine conservation. The film explores the deep emotional connection that can develop between humans and animals. It highlights the intelligence and complexity of marine life and the interconnectedness of all living things. The film also raises questions about human responsibility towards nature. Pretty epic stuff, and it seems the chaps at BMW were fans of this octopus teacher and have decided also to use an octopus to teach the world about the brand’s new Heart of Joy control unit. Meet Okto the Octopus.
With its new brand campaign and “Meet Okto the Octopus” video, BMW provides an unusual insight into the operation of its new Heart of Joy central control unit. The star of the video is an octopus performing a perfectly coordinated underwater choreography – as an analogy for the way the Heart of Joy will intelligently coordinate key driving functions in future BMW vehicles, starting with the Neue Klasse models. A new central control unit called the Heart of Joy is taking BMW driving dynamics to a new level, from standstill to the limits. It will make its debut in the BMW Neue Klasse models. The Heart of Joy combines with the BMW Dynamic Performance Control software stack to centrally control the powertrain, brakes and recuperation as well as some steering functions. Compared to previous systems, the new control unit processes driving information around ten times faster and responds more directly to the driver than ever before. The Heart of Joy passed its first public performance test at Auto Shanghai, as part of the BMW Vision Driving Experience. The “Meet Okto the Octopus” video translates the new “superbrain’s” power into cinematic poetry. The star of the video is an octopus. A fascinating animal that uses a decentralised nervous system to enable independent control of individual parts of its body. Much like a modern car has separate control units for braking, acceleration and steering. In the new BMW brand video, this scenario is reversed: the octopus is given a central nervous system and then moves in a synchronised, precise and controlled manner to perform an underwater waltz, while simultaneously avoiding hazards. Pretty damn cool to watch, especially if you’re also a fan of the whole wake & bake thing to get the day started.
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows how BMW is using an octopus to show off the new drive systems found in the exclusive Neue Klasse range that's started to surface recently: BMW Heart of Joy | Meet Okto the octopus | BMWSouthAfrica
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