When it comes to audio, there are fewer places more special than in a car. Whether it's music, radio, podcasts, or audiobooks, time in a vehicle is almost always better when you have something to listen to. So it makes sense that audio engineering would go extra hard for car technology. In this case, Bose’s SeatCentric system claims to be able to target specific seats separately.

Using the directional technology used for parking sensors and the noise-cancelling technology used to make cars quieter, Bose wants to create a system that can have different levels be heard, depending on which seat you’re in. The common example being that music can be a different volume in each seat, which would do wonders for families with different sensitivities. The separations aren’t completely isolated. If someone in the passenger seat is blasting a tune, the driver will likely hear it well enough. But the difference is still there, enough so to be worthwhile, at least.

One cooler example was how it can handle phone calls. When a phone is connected, traditional vehicles will pause the music while the phone call plays out. With this system, the music will only stop for the driver, who will receive the call audio. Meanwhile, the rest of the passengers will be able to listen to their music without interruption.

We first saw this idea at the CES a few years ago. But Bose says they’re close to reaching production for near future vehicle models. But technology like this is not cheap, especially since it requires some more complex hardware. We wouldn’t be surprised if we only see it built into luxury cars. That, or it’ll be an optional add-on. We’ll see soon enough, sounds like.