The drivers of the future can change songs with a nod or a gesture

The gestures with the hands of drivers are something akin to sentences that are released in the amateur basketball games: provocative distractions of an activity that requires concentration. But the gestures may someday have a responsibility higher, making safer and pleasant handling, judging by the amount of work that is being done to develop technology that interprets the movements of the hands and the head as commands to the computer.

Automakers such as Mercedes-Benz and Ford are installed, slowly, various gestures collection systems. Microsoft and Apple have long-term projects with automakers, both companies, along with Google; have filed patents relating to the theme, creative firms purchased systems gestures or both things at once.

Commands initiated hand movements are not a fantasy of Harry Potter, but a reality that is found in many homes today. Microsoft’s Kinect, the system based on infrared on its Xbox 360 console interface lets players control games with body movements. The most visible example of automotive gestures recognition is the movement of the foot with the rear window of the Ford Escape opens when a person who has the remote door opener car moves your foot under the rear bumper.

Most are pretty obvious gestures proposed-one pass of the hand pointing palm down or up, but some are pantomimes such as covering one ear. Later will come hand shake, wink and nod, gestures that will be recorded by video cameras or infrared and ultrasound sensors. Technology gestures, under the heading of natural user interfaces, it will be another apparatus. Operate comfort and entertainment resources and still will always have the support buttons and voice commands. Investigators say a dozen gestures should only be used, it would be more expensive.

“It’s terribly crucial not to get carried away by technology” when it comes to human-machine interfaces, said Parrish Hanna, global director of Ford for IMH. Gestures have to solve a “problem,” not only create a marketing event.

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A movement of the foot is not as intuitive as noted by hand, said Hanna, but solves a problem: carrying bags of shopping in a car. “As a consumer I know when I really appreciate it”, he said.

In operation, simple gestures are instantly recognized by the car’s computer to help the driver keep his eyes on the road. Gestures also work best in situations where there are noises that can complicate voice commands. Computing giants like Apple, Google and Microsoft see a future in this, starting with what they can charge for each vehicle licensed to use their operating systems.

Apple, which made gestures on touch screens were an indispensable resource from the introduction of the iPhone, recently again made waves when it signed agreements with several automotive for the use of its control system, CarPlay. Apple executives have talked and talked about “iOS for Auto,” which would put the implementation of personal assistant Siri and other technology company on wheels. More than a dozen automakers have joined the initiative, but so far Honda is the leading front.

Late last year Apple bought PrimeSense, the company that licensed it to Microsoft technology used in the Kinect sensor of Xbox 360 initially. (Microsoft had happened to own technology sensors before buying the firm.) In addition to the patents that Apple got with your purchase, has its own patent gestures and an application for a patent for the use of gaze to control a computer. Apple is also recruiting staff in this area: in August placed an ad asking for a “for iOS Engineer Experience Cars” and in November sought a professional engineer in gesture recognition.

Microsoft may have problems with its mobile strategy, but the company has advantages with its Kinect technology. What is important is their striking list of partnerships with industrial companies. Besides working with the Ford Sync system, has partnered with Kia and Fiat, and its software is built into vehicles BMW, Nissan, Honda and Aston Martin as well. Y is said to be working on products for hand gesture recognition and facial.

Yet it is Google that has the most to gain by incorporating gestures systems to cars. According to company documents, 90 percent of Google’s revenue comes from advertising. One of the best ways to increase ad revenue is to ensure that ads are seen by people who are more likely to cliquearlos. That means getting information from people who use the browser, maps, Gmail and other Google products. The behavior of consumers in cars is almost virgin territory for marketers and Google is positioned to capitalize.
Google has many initiatives under way that could lead to an automotive future. Last fall, a maker of software that allows people to operate Netflix and other applications using signals captured by a webcam buy Flutter. Google seems to be pushing the limits of what can be controlled with gestures. In a patent application, the company intends to use gestures for operating systems not only media but also the wipers and cruise control.

It can be said that for automakers, gestures are sexier than voice systems or touch screens. Being so focused designers to create a unique driving experience, gestures are an attractive solution. The engineers and designers of BMW are experimenting with six gestures as part of the electronic package ConnectedDrive Company, which is expected to be available in models in two years.

This could be part of a broader initiative. The research unit of Mercedes-Benz in North America has been hiring engineers for tasks including tracking 3-D, a necessity in interpreting gestures. The new V-Class Company combis, which will appear in Europe this year, will have a 3-D sensor can differentiate between a command entered in the touch panel and an accidental touch. A Mercedes design studio 2011, the F125 was a more ambitious technology gestures experiment. That concept had, among other things, a retractable screen doors that opened like wings and is operated with gestures.

In the United States, the movement block by Ford probably will not be a farewell gesture from the company. It has filed a patent application for systems within the cabin using a video camera to capture seven signs. Ford is also working with Microsoft to equip their cars with Kinect. General Motors has been working on gestures researchers at Carnegie Mellon University since at least 2002. So far the best it has to offer in U.S. is a sensor in its media pack Cadillac User Experience, when you are on hand, reveals a number of favorite apps on a touch screen.

On the other hand the Advanced Technical Center in Shanghai GM has developed a resource called DiDi gestures and voice Weibo, to help Chinese drivers to participate in social media journey.

In South Korea, Hyundai has applied for a patent for gesture recognition technology and is working with two companies to create a choice of two layers gestures. In the first layer behind the wheel of a button is pressed and an icon resource displayed on a screen. When you stop pressing the button is activated the action chosen. The second layer is a set of gestures that manipulates an interactive display on the tab located on the board. A demonstration of the application shows a person opening video poker games on the screen.

Hyundai has not confirmed the release date, but is expected to be incorporated into the models within the next two years. All these initiatives may seem timid, but true critics of gestures in cars, surprisingly, are those who are more into the theme interface designers.

“It’s too much work, too coarse and too vague” to important tasks Noessel said Chris, director of interaction design at the Cooper Studio, a product design firm based in San Francisco. Gesture recognition is attracting attention now by popular films like Iron Man and Minority Report, said.