To make navigating easier, Pioneer Corp. is launching gesture control radios in Japan this month.
Pioneer’s new “Air Gesture” lets you wave your hand in front of the car radio to change the menu on the screen or zoom in on the navigation map.
A wave of the hand can switch screens to show the name of the music being played. Or you can “Skip the music being played,” or “Set your home as a destination,” or “Set one of the frequently visited places as a destination.”
With a horizontal hand motion, users can also control functions such as switching modes from navigation to AV.
The feature relies on IR sensors.
Pioneer will offer Air Gesture in 2 in-dash navigation radios including a model at the U.S. equivalent of $1,600 that rolls out next week, as well as 4 portable navigation devices.
The new models were shown last week at CEATEC JAPAN 2012.
Pioneer has not yet responded to our inquiry about a U.S. launch date for the feature.
