New concept in Digit-All Control - Finger Motion Car Stereo

A new device was recently presented to technologists that lets drivers control their car stereo by finger movements while their hands are still gripping the steering wheel.

The control signal is adjusted using an index finger, allowing the driver to control the volume of the car stereo or other items, such as the air conditioning. The technology, which is still in the experimental stage, uses finger gestures to operate a system that uses electromagnetic sensors in the dashboard to detect finger movements. At its current stage, it requires the driver to be holding the steering wheel in the classic 10- and 2-o’clock positions, and to be driving straight ahead. The system reads the shapes your finger draws in the air, explains the Technology Review (published by MIT).

In a recent test, 6 people were asked to try out the system, called 'Geremin'. It was accurate 86 percent of the time using 10 different gestures (moving the finger up/down, left/right, in circles and other shapes). The work was presented at the International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces in California this month (Feb 2011).

Movement detection as a control mechanism isn't new, of course, as we see from the games machine industry and hand-controlled music and DJ equipment, but the benefits in the car in terms of driving safety seem clear enough. There are high-end camera-based systems already in some vehicles but this solution is expected to be much cheaper. But is motion control really any safer than using today's steering wheel mounted controls?

Co-developer and researcher, Christian Muller - a researcher at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence - says you can do much more with finger gestures for better control. Muller hopes to combine the finger control with speech recognition so drivers are able to send text messages from the car.

I see a few issues with the system. A typical gesture of frustration at a fellow driver after they have pulled out in front of you could get you a lot more than you bargained for if the air-con suddenly blasts you with ice cold air... then again, that could be a selling point I suppose. Then again, as just about anyone with a pulse who has listened to a favourite music track in their car will know, the finger gestures prompted by a classic drum break or Jimmy Page guitar solo would result in all manner of things switching on, switching off, going up, going down... and I hate to think what happens when Man Utd score in the last minute of the Champions League Final as you are hurtling down the M6! [MMSA News Editor]

Source: Technology Review by MIT