BMW Lets You Control the Music in Your Car by Waving Your Hands in the Air
BMW i8. (Courtesy of BMW)
The next time you give your car the finger, it might actually do something.
At the Consumer Electronics Show, BMW gave us an early look at technology that may one day allow you to control your vehicle’s in-car entertainment system using hand gestures.
The technology relies on a 3D camera built into the ceiling of the car above the center console. It can detect the orientation of your hand and how many fingers you’re holding up, and then respond to whatever is displayed onscreen.
If you’re listening to music, for example, you can circle your finger clockwise to crank up the tunes. Swirling counter-clockwise turns down the music.
(BMW)
Jabbing your finger toward the touchscreen is the same as saying yes; when someone calls you and his face appears onscreen, you can answer by virtually poking him. Don’t want to talk? Dismiss the call with a swipe to the right.
The same gestures could be used for different functions, depending on context. Jab two fingers in a V shape toward the navigation screen, and the car will automatically direct you home. Do it from the primary control interface, and it shuts the screen off entirely.
These are just a few examples of common gestures people might use when this feature appears. You may someday be able to create your own custom gestures.
However, it will likely be at least two or three years before we see this technology implemented in high-end BMWs, say company executives. That’s a similar timeframe for Volkswagen’s gesture-control system, also unveiled at CES on Monday.
Part of that delay will be awaiting approval from regulatory agencies like the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), which must determine if hand gestures are less distracting than twiddling knobs or tapping touchscreens.
Send bottled water and lucky rabbits’ feet to Dan Tynan at ModFamily1@yahoo.com.
