U.S.-based electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian has refreshed its mid-size R2 crossover by adding a retractable rear window wiper and an AI-powered mirror camera to let you monitor your pets sitting in the car while you go about your business.
This feature must be manually enabled in the menu, where it is called Pet Mode. Once on, the HVAC will maintain an optimal temperature in the cabin at all times. If the built-in AI detects a cat or a dog using a camera integrated into the rear-view mirror, it will broadcast the video to the Rivian app on your smartphone.
According to the announcement, the video feature won’t work if the AI fails to detect a suitable animal subject in the frame. It also won’t activate if it detects a person in the car. We suppose the reasoning behind this decision is that violating animal privacy is just fine, whereas doing the same to a fellow human is not.
As for the wiper, it automatically tucks itself into a niche cut out for it in the rear spoiler when not in use, apparently for purely aesthetic reasons. Rivian claims it has conducted a “full testing cycle” of the folding mechanism in different conditions and found it reliable enough for mass market application.