A STORY THAT BELONGS IN NEXT YEAR’S SPOTLIGHT?
A STORY THAT BELONGS IN NEXT YEAR’S SPOTLIGHT?
amp GmbH (HQ)
Sandstr. 33
80335 Munich
Germany
Sea Containers
18 Upper Ground
London
SE1 9PD
United Kingdom
amp Sound Branding Inc.
3 World Trade Center
175 Greenwich Street
New York
NY 10007
Copyright © 2026 amp GmbH, All rights reserved.
MUNICH | BERLIN | NEW YORK | LOS ANGELES | LONDON | SINGAPORE | MILAN | DUBAI
amp GmbH (HQ)
Sandstr. 33
80335 Munich
Germany
Sea Containers
18 Upper Ground
London
SE1 9PD
United Kingdom
amp Sound Branding Inc.
3 World Trade Center
175 Greenwich Street
New York
NY 10007
Copyright © 2026 amp GmbH, All rights reserved.
MUNICH | BERLIN | NEW YORK | LOS ANGELES | LONDON | SINGAPORE | MILAN | DUBAI
From taking orders, to being our doctors, surgeons, teachers, and coders; artificial intelligence is seeping into most areas of our world.
From taking orders, to being our doctors, surgeons, teachers, and coders; artificial intelligence is seeping into most areas of our world.
While controversy continues to engulf these replacement bots, one area seems to elicit an incredible deal of fear: driving.
While controversy continues to engulf these replacement bots, one area seems to elicit an incredible deal of fear: driving.
While safety technology has continued to reduce human error, roughly 40k Americans still died in car accidents in the past year. With this statistic remaining high, many fear being in the car without a driver. This is understandable: you see the wheel turn without anyone turning it, you see it pause as a pedestrian crosses at a red light, and you feel the hesitation as the light turns green, as if a human was slowly releasing their foot off the break.
While companies like Waymo have made the driving process feel human, reluctance still reigns.
There is one thing that seems to happen regularly, however: after someone experiences a Waymo once, it becomes normal. While there are many reasons this may be, audio and voice are at the forefront of this immersive, futuristic experience from beginning to end:
There is one thing that seems to happen regularly, however: after someone experiences a Waymo once, it becomes normal. While there are many reasons this may be, audio and voice are at the forefront of this immersive, futuristic experience from beginning to end:
Audio and voice have risen to the top of this immersive futuristic experience from beginning to end:
1.Finding the Car
A stressful portion of using any car service is getting into the right car; those of you who have gotten into the wrong car know how embarrassing and anxiety-inducing that can be. On the Waymo app, you can ask the car to play a sound: a light, quick, ascending arpeggiated quadruplet, changing chords every so often. These light, spacious timbres feel more like someone is lighting a dim candle for guidance rather than shining a high beam in your eyes. Meanwhile, the fast-paced melody cuts through what might be a busy intersection, or simply provides a gentle musical indication on a quiet night.
2.Getting into the Car
Once you have found your car, the fully immersive soundscape, with similar spacious timbres to the previous sound, emulates inside. You are now stepping into a calming environment; one that mimics a yoga studio. For a stressed passenger, new to the self-driving vehicle game, this eases nerves. In a brief, but natural moment of pause, the “invisible driver” welcomes you by name. While the voice does not scream human, its Alexa-like intonation feels familiar, and ensures you that you’re in the right place.
3.Starting the Ride
Begin the ride with a press of a button. The vehicle will not just shoot out blindly (which many friends of mine would do). Instead, it plays another quick melodic ascension, indicating it has received the directions, and the same voice tells you, “Heading to [location by name]". This all happens while the immersive soundscape continues to play, easing you into the experience, while the same invisible driver confirms that you and your location are correct.
4.During the Ride
During the ride you should forget the driver is not there. One of the first features Waymo implemented was music. Initially, a partnership with iHeart Radio allowed passengers to choose from a selection of channels, but this did not go far enough. What is the one thing I do to relax in a stressful situation? Put on my own music! Waymo’s recent partnership with Spotify allows you to play your own music out of the car, making singing along not just possible, but less embarrassing, as you can do it alone.
Beyond the music, certain sonic features make you remember you are still in a normal car. Unbuckling your seatbelt will cause a gentle alert, that does not startle, but does remind you to put your belt back on. Additionally, the Waymo has multiple styles of honking: the polite honk, often two short honks, to remind cars to move, or the loud sustained honk, for more urgent situations.
5.Ending the Ride
As you near the end of the ride, the voice, over the music, reminds you to take your things. Once the car is safe and stopped, a small video-game-winning-esque sound plays, and the voice tells you that you have arrived, and to make sure it is clear before exiting. The calming music returns, letting the passenger leave with a sense of calm that many would think is near impossible after an invisible driver has brought you through an entire city.
Audio and voice have risen to the top of this immersive futuristic experience from beginning to end:
1.Finding the Car
A stressful portion of using any car service is getting into the right car; those of you who have gotten into the wrong car know how embarrassing and anxiety-inducing that can be. On the Waymo app, you can ask the car to play a sound: a light, quick, ascending arpeggiated quadruplet, changing chords every so often. These light, spacious timbres feel more like someone is lighting a dim candle for guidance rather than shining a high beam in your eyes. Meanwhile, the fast-paced melody cuts through what might be a busy intersection, or simply provides a gentle musical indication on a quiet night.
2.Getting into the Car
Once you have found your car, the fully immersive soundscape, with similar spacious timbres to the previous sound, emulates inside. You are now stepping into a calming environment; one that mimics a yoga studio. For a stressed passenger, new to the self-driving vehicle game, this eases nerves. In a brief, but natural moment of pause, the “invisible driver” welcomes you by name. While the voice does not scream human, its Alexa-like intonation feels familiar, and ensures you that you’re in the right place.
3.Starting the Ride
Begin the ride with a press of a button. The vehicle will not just shoot out blindly (which many friends of mine would do). Instead, it plays another quick melodic ascension, indicating it has received the directions, and the same voice tells you, “Heading to [location by name]". This all happens while the immersive soundscape continues to play, easing you into the experience, while the same invisible driver confirms that you and your location are correct.
4.During the Ride
During the ride you should forget the driver is not there. One of the first features Waymo implemented was music. Initially, a partnership with iHeart Radio allowed passengers to choose from a selection of channels, but this did not go far enough. What is the one thing I do to relax in a stressful situation? Put on my own music! Waymo’s recent partnership with Spotify allows you to play your own music out of the car, making singing along not just possible, but less embarrassing, as you can do it alone.
Beyond the music, certain sonic features make you remember you are still in a normal car. Unbuckling your seatbelt will cause a gentle alert, that does not startle, but does remind you to put your belt back on. Additionally, the Waymo has multiple styles of honking: the polite honk, often two short honks, to remind cars to move, or the loud sustained honk, for more urgent situations.
5.Ending the Ride
As you near the end of the ride, the voice, over the music, reminds you to take your things. Once the car is safe and stopped, a small video-game-winning-esque sound plays, and the voice tells you that you have arrived, and to make sure it is clear before exiting. The calming music returns, letting the passenger leave with a sense of calm that many would think is near impossible after an invisible driver has brought you through an entire city.
Audio and voice have risen to the top of this immersive futuristic experience from beginning to end:
1.Finding the Car
A stressful portion of using any car service is getting into the right car; those of you who have gotten into the wrong car know how embarrassing and anxiety-inducing that can be. On the Waymo app, you can ask the car to play a sound: a light, quick, ascending arpeggiated quadruplet, changing chords every so often. These light, spacious timbres feel more like someone is lighting a dim candle for guidance rather than shining a high beam in your eyes. Meanwhile, the fast-paced melody cuts through what might be a busy intersection, or simply provides a gentle musical indication on a quiet night.
2.Getting into the Car
Once you have found your car, the fully immersive soundscape, with similar spacious timbres to the previous sound, emulates inside. You are now stepping into a calming environment; one that mimics a yoga studio. For a stressed passenger, new to the self-driving vehicle game, this eases nerves. In a brief, but natural moment of pause, the “invisible driver” welcomes you by name. While the voice does not scream human, its Alexa-like intonation feels familiar, and ensures you that you’re in the right place.
3.Starting the Ride
Begin the ride with a press of a button. The vehicle will not just shoot out blindly (which many friends of mine would do). Instead, it plays another quick melodic ascension, indicating it has received the directions, and the same voice tells you, “Heading to [location by name]". This all happens while the immersive soundscape continues to play, easing you into the experience, while the same invisible driver confirms that you and your location are correct.
4.During the Ride
During the ride you should forget the driver is not there. One of the first features Waymo implemented was music. Initially, a partnership with iHeart Radio allowed passengers to choose from a selection of channels, but this did not go far enough. What is the one thing I do to relax in a stressful situation? Put on my own music! Waymo’s recent partnership with Spotify allows you to play your own music out of the car, making singing along not just possible, but less embarrassing, as you can do it alone.
Beyond the music, certain sonic features make you remember you are still in a normal car. Unbuckling your seatbelt will cause a gentle alert, that does not startle, but does remind you to put your belt back on. Additionally, the Waymo has multiple styles of honking: the polite honk, often two short honks, to remind cars to move, or the loud sustained honk, for more urgent situations.
5.Ending the Ride
As you near the end of the ride, the voice, over the music, reminds you to take your things. Once the car is safe and stopped, a small video-game-winning-esque sound plays, and the voice tells you that you have arrived, and to make sure it is clear before exiting. The calming music returns, letting the passenger leave with a sense of calm that many would think is near impossible after an invisible driver has brought you through an entire city.
