Reaching for controls may soon be a thing of the past for drivers.
Volvo's Concept You dashboard Image: Volvo UK |
With car manufacturers working hard on developing gesture recognition to manage complex functions, drivers may soon find they are less distracted from the task of driving.
Hyundai has already developed the concept to allow drivers to adjust the audio system volume with a simple hand gesture, while Toyota and Microsoft are also working on similar technologies. Increasingly refined touch-sensitive controls can detect just the presence of a hand or finger.
Gesture recognition has gone one step further with Volvo's Concept You, which uses an infrared (IR) camera to watch the driver's eyes, activating displays when the driver looks at them. Large hand movements can also be detected by IR.
One of the challenges for car manufacturers is making physical controls accessible for drivers. With the advancement of proximity sensors, distances of as much as half a metre will cease to be problematic, which is particularly useful for drivers who want to scroll a menu on a device in the centre console or adjust the climate control.
There is, perhaps, one note of caution to the researchers: avoid the sorts of hand gestures which could be misinterpreted by passing motorists or pedestrians!