Gesture Control for Automotive Peripherals

j-rock nowhere writes "An article in Automotive Design and productions' Field Guide to Automotive Technology describes a possible future method of controlling things like your cell phone and stereo while keeping your eyes on the road."

Comments

Amusing effect on fingerspellers

[Lonesome Squash]

I have a habit of absent-mindedly fingerspelling when I'm thinking about something else. I suspect this would cure me.

It might be a problem for those who use sign language to speak to their passengers, but then, maybe signing while driving isn't such a great idea.

A simpler way with little innovation required

[mao che minh]

How about a few buttons on the steering wheel that correspond to standardized jacks used to interface things like your celluar phone and stereo? The stereo part is already done (in most Acura's for example), now just add celluar compatibility and provide one of those systems that turns you car into a speaker phone and your done.

Gesture-Based Interfaces

[mcc]

A loud clatter of gunk music flooded through the Heart of Gold cabin as Zaphod searched the sub-etha radio wave bands for news of himself. The machine was rather difficult to operate. For years radios had been operated by means of pressing buttons and turning dials; then as the technology became more sophisticated the controls were made touch-sensitive-- you merely had to brush the panels with your fingers; now all you had to do was wave your hand in the general direction of the components and hope. It saved a lot of muscular expenditure, of course, but meant that you had to sit infuriatingly still if you wanted to keep listening to the same program."

-- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

My God, it's finally happened.

What about hands on the wheel?

[Ashtead]

.. or the stick-shift every once in a while.

The big problem seems to be that the concentration isn't on traffic even with hands-off versions of mobile phones. True enough, there is not that gross inattentiveness associated with reading or writing text-messages, or other non-telecomms activities like applying makeup or reading the newspaper. Still, the concentration isn't where it ought to be during phone calls, I have experienced this myself, being on "autopilot" whilst talking. Enough to keep the vehicle following the road; but at the end of the conversation I realized I could not remember anything of what I had passed, even obvious things like small towns and intersections.

On the other hand, this idea of being able to quickly get commands across to various in-car systems seems exciting. Being able to turn on a music selection with a flick of the wrist certainly is vastly better than an in-car entertainment system full of pushbuttons. I got one of these here, and I never am able to work it unless the car is stationary.

why not get rid of the wheel completely?

[tiled_rainbows]

Why not stick with the physical interfaces for cellphone, stereo, etc, but DRIVE using guesture recognition? How cool would it be to just have to point in the direction you wanted to go? Okay, not that cool, but I still like the idea

Re:Keyboard?

[RandomWhiteMan]

They've been coming out with a couple interfaces that use gestures lately. Don't know how good they are though. Touchstream Keyboard

Re:It's not the problem

[jobugeek]

I read a study somewhere(can't find it at the moment), that studied just what you said. It stated that talking to someone in the car also is aware of the environment. If a car starts to turn into you, that person will obviously stop talking where someone on the other end of a cell phone will not realize what it happening.

Also, the study took into a effect that more traffic can actually be safe at times. Once the repeition of your drive gets ingrained, if there isn't anything to keep you alert, people tend to "autopilot".