Car Radio Gesture Control Heats Up

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Car makers are experimenting with gesture controlled radios at an increasing pace.

harmanHarman is the latest to jump on the bandwagon, showing a concept car in Europe that controls the radio and air conditioning with nods, winks and taps on the steering wheel in an effort to reduce driver distraction. Harman said its system could reach the market in 2 or 3 years.

Harman’s system relies on a infra-red sensor mounted in the dash that looks for facial expressions and gestures that are interpreted by an onboard computer, says Recombu.

A wink can turn on the radio. Tilting your head right or left can lower or raise the volume.  If you tap on the steering wheel, you can skip to the next track.

Harman says its system is smart enough to tell the difference between a deliberate gesture command and normal movement and facial expressions.

Meanwhile, current vehicles like the Cadillac Cue sense when your hand is near the radio and switches to a more in-depth menu or controls.

In January Delphi showed a concept system that “watches” the eye movement of the driver and if he focuses too long on the dash display, it goes blank.

Recently Garmin showed a new kind of controller that senses hand movement so you don’t actually have to touch it.  And Microsoft may be working on a form of Kinect in the car, according to an ad it posted last month.   JVC began using proximity sensors years ago in aftermarket radios, but it seems like a new wave of factory devices will take the concept a step further.

Source:  Recombu via Autopia 

 

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