Harman prototype car functions controlled by gestures

Doing something else while driving at the same time can be a dangerous – even if it’s as simple as changing the radio station or adjusting the temperature of the vehicle. Well, it looks like the folks over at Harman have come up with a solution. Using an infra-red sensor that’s mounted on the dashboard of the vehicle that can recognize facial expressions, drivers perform simple gestures while still driving safely. The sensor works with a computer that is installed inside the car to translate the gestures into commands for the vehicle.

For example, the driver could tilt his/her head to the left to turn the volume of the radio up, while winking could turn the music player on or off. The computer is also meant to be sophisticated enough to differentiate an accidental blink and a wink so users don’t accidentally perform commands that they don’t want to. This includes people who like making hand gestures while talking or listening to music – hopefully the system will be able to accommodate such users.

Don’t expect this technology in our vehicles anytime soon though, it’ll probably be 2-3 years before we see anything on the market. In the meantime we’ll just have to stick to steering wheel controls and voice commands.

[Image credit – SWNS.com]

George Wong
Categories: Transportation
Tags: gestures, harman