Gesture Control for Automotive Peripherals 221
j-rock nowhere writes "An article in Automotive Design and productions' Field Guide to Automotive Technology describes a possible future method of controlling things like your cell phone and stereo while keeping your eyes on the road."
jedi (Score:5, Funny)
Does this work on storm troopers too?
Re:jedi (Score:5, Funny)
Honda: This is not the station you were looking for.
Does anyone else see this as not a good idea? (Score:4, Funny)
Car swerves down into a ditch
Hands not on the wheel
Re:Does anyone else see this as not a good idea? (Score:4, Funny)
Pressing a button or turning a knob cannot be misinterpreted, waving a hand can
Re:Does anyone else see this as not a good idea? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Does anyone else see this as not a good idea? (Score:4, Insightful)
The fact you're talking on the phone (regardless of whether you're using a hands-free set or not) means that some aspect of your cognitive functions are not on the road. Pure and simple.
People waving their hands around in an attempt to spell something will be a menace. I can imagine what'll happen as soon as something's mis-spelt. People'll soon switch their eyes across to whatever readout it has to try and delete something.
We should be enforcing laws stopping people driving dangerously and without due care and attention, not making up expensive technology that will provide yet another distraction for idiots.
erm... (Score:2)
I dunno... (Score:5, Funny)
"Hey, a$$hole - you gonna flip me off like that, I'll show you!" (swerves and cuts off guy who's just trying to check his voicemail)
Re:I dunno... (Score:5, Informative)
the system has a camera positioned in the center console area pointed up at the roof so that the space in which the driver makes command gestures is essentially the same as where a gearshift lever might be. The thinking is to keep the operation of the system as familiar and natural as possible so that the driver won't be distracted from watching the road. (Another benefit is that since the gestures are made at a low level in the center of the vehicle other drivers are not likely to see them and interpret them as digital expletives.)
Re:I dunno... (Score:3, Funny)
[snort] Excellent!! "..and I mono-digitally expressed an expletive at the other driver..."
Re:I dunno... (Score:2)
Bad design. How about making an autopilot that takes over when the driver is being an idiot?
Re:I dunno... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:I dunno... (Score:2, Funny)
My Science Project anyone? (Score:2, Funny)
Watch for the neon middle finger to pop up from my truck.
I wonder... (Score:2)
Voice is better (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Voice is better (Score:3, Insightful)
Why even bother with hands, they should really stay on the wheel.
Re:Voice is better (Score:2)
i wouldnt want to talk to my car (too HAL) but ill wave to it, sure.
Re:Voice is better (Score:2)
Noise interference for sound, light interference for cameras.
I think a combo as he suggests might be better, but honestly, I'm less likely to say something that could be interpreted as a command, than I am moving my hand in a way that could be interpreted as one.
Imagine the gesture if... (Score:2)
Middle of the road...
My first thought when I read this... (Score:2, Funny)
Does that make me a bad person?
Queue thousands of "middle finger" gesture jokes.. (Score:2)
Amusing effect on fingerspellers (Score:2, Interesting)
It might be a problem for those who use sign language to speak to their passengers, but then, maybe signing while driving isn't such a great idea.
Prevent RSI? (Score:3, Funny)
Huh. My car is ahead of its time. (Score:5, Funny)
If I place my hand on the device in front of me,
and I move my hand to the left, the car goes to the left. If I move my hand to the right, my car goes to the right.
There's a set of gestures I can make with my other hand to select something called a "gear". And the motion recognition even watches my feet, too!
-JDF
A simpler way with little innovation required (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:A simpler way with little innovation required (Score:2)
Re:A simpler way with little innovation required (Score:3, Insightful)
no it's not. the controls on steering wheels are far from standard... they intentionally use a bizzare protocol so that it is 100% useless with any decent aftermarket audio systems. (sorry, the stereo in your honda oops I mean acura sucks compared to some of the real stuff out there.)
If you think that the automotive manu
It's not the problem (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:It's not the problem (Score:5, Insightful)
(Although, I've noticed that when someone is in the car with me and I'm talking to them, I don't have any problem paying attention to the road. I haven't quite figured that out yet.)
Re:It's not the problem (Score:3, Insightful)
Pretty simple. The passenger talking to you is part of your immediate environment. They occupy more of your sensory abilities that a cel caller. You only hear a cell call, and somewhat artificially at that. A real live person can be seen, heard, smelled, etc. Much more "real" that your phone call. Or radio for that matter, cons
Re:It's not the problem (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:It's not the problem (Score:2)
Re:It's not the problem (Score:2)
Re:It's not the problem (Score:2)
Re:It's not the problem (Score:2)
Also, maybe when you are talking in the car it is just idle chatter, whereas on the phone there is usually a reason for the call.
you're the closest one yet (Score:2)
We all know how aggravating and rude it is when the person on the other line is "distracted" by TV or something, giving us "uh-huh" waaaayyyy too late to have been paying attention.
We want to avoid this in the car, to be polite, to follow our ingrained phone ediquite, and so we drive like apes on morphine.
Re:It's not the problem (Score:2)
Re:It's not the problem (Score:2)
little Susy? (Score:2)
~Berj
Re:It's not the problem (Score:3, Interesting)
Also, the study took into a effect that more traffic can actually be safe at times. Once the repeition of your drive gets ingrained, if there isn't anything to keep you alert, people t
Re:It's not the problem (Score:2, Funny)
gotta love the summer...
Totally disagree (Score:2)
After all since drivers can't do two things at once, listening to the radio would be out, talking to passengers would be out, fiddling around with car seats, etc. would be out...
No, you're right. We should make so the driver has NO DISTRACTIONS. I'm starting my campaign to remove passenger seats and radios from cars today!
Re:Totally disagree (Score:2)
Re:Totally disagree (Score:2)
My campaign includes the removal of ALL distractions, including pedestrians!
Re:Totally disagree (Score:2)
That's what I was doing.
Eliminating cellphone any basis other than it causes than the fact that it distracts the driver by occupying one of his/her hands is absurd. Plain and simple. Talking to someone on a handsfree phone is no more distracting than talking to the person next to you.
Re:Totally disagree (Score:2, Informative)
In terms of using a hands-free mobile phone, drivers also found them to be a considerable distraction and researchers established that participants found it easier to drive drunk than when using a mobile phone - either hand-held or hands-free. [rbsmentor.co.uk]
The Utah study differed from others because it didn't examine the distractions of dialing or holding a phone. Instead, it tried to focus solely on the distractions of having a conversation, Strayer said [mobtastic.com]
the cogniti [rospa.org.uk]
Re:Totally disagree (Score:2)
Re:Totally disagree (Score:2)
Dunno if the studies someone else providid address this, but here are 3 reasons this is most certainly not true:
1. You have less information. Period. It's a cell phone call, so there's probably significant quality loss. Even land-line to land-line calls significantly degrade the quality. Result? You need to think more to figure out what they are saying.
2. Chances are better that the cell phone ca
Re:Totally disagree (Score:2)
Re:Totally disagree (Score:2, Insightful)
And for the record, I used to drive 30k+ mile/year for yesr without an accident, I'm only a pedestrian now because some uninsured kid in a borrowed car destroyed my vehicle while
Re:Totally disagree (Score:2)
Re:Totally disagree (Score:2)
Your radio isn't interactive? You can't change the station, adjust the volume, alter the graphic equalizer (or bass and treble), change the station presets, etc.?
With a passenger, you share the same environment and you can concentrate on your driving.
Hmmm? You can SEE the passenger, so this could be even MORE of a distraction as you glance over your shoulder to notice facial expressions, etc. Also, if I had a dime for everyti
Re:It's not the problem (Score:2)
I think you're quite wrong. If that was true, it should also be illegal to talk to the passengers in your car. I think we can all agree that your average person can handle driving down the road and talking to the person next to them. They have to if the want to p
Re:It's not the problem (Score:2, Insightful)
A passenger is in the same environment as you, which means there's a second set of senses (semi) paying attention to what's going on outside the glass. A cell-caller has no such cues or abilities.
Passengers also have vested interest in NOT bringing up volatile, emotion-laden, or stressful topics. OTOH the PHB is completely comfortable with chewing you out over the cell phone just like he would over regular land-lines. Most passengers are aware of wh
Re:It's not the problem (Score:2)
Make it so the houshold phone will not work unless their able to play Gran Turismo while talking.
Re:It's not the problem (Score:2)
So hands-free phones do nothing to help the problem, regardless of the massive ad campaigns launched by both cell phone manufacturers and automakers to the contrary.
Gesture-Based Interfaces (Score:5, Interesting)
Where's my electric thumb? (Score:2)
Any moment now a space ship will crash and announce "Take us to your lizzard."
At least Vogon poetry will be better than most pop crap.
As I said before:
My question is, if the whole planet now sounds like Ford Prefect is somewhere in the area, where's my electric thumb and my copy of that book with the "Don't Panic" cover? [slashdot.org]
Make your choice... (Score:3, Funny)
Gesture Control (Score:2)
Not exactly a good idea (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Not exactly a good idea (Score:2)
Until you tune into some talk radio station
Re:Not exactly a good idea (Score:2, Funny)
Speech recognition? (Score:2, Insightful)
Sweet! (Score:2, Funny)
Seriously, most people I see can't even handle driving when they aren't actually trying to do anything else, why are they being encouraged to do anything but drive?
Ultimate solution (Score:3, Insightful)
How about shut off the cell phone, tune the stereo to one station and pay attention to the road.
Solution: $0
Chance to get into an accident/kill someone: less
What about hands on the wheel? (Score:5, Interesting)
The big problem seems to be that the concentration isn't on traffic even with hands-off versions of mobile phones. True enough, there is not that gross inattentiveness associated with reading or writing text-messages, or other non-telecomms activities like applying makeup or reading the newspaper. Still, the concentration isn't where it ought to be during phone calls, I have experienced this myself, being on "autopilot" whilst talking. Enough to keep the vehicle following the road; but at the end of the conversation I realized I could not remember anything of what I had passed, even obvious things like small towns and intersections.
On the other hand, this idea of being able to quickly get commands across to various in-car systems seems exciting. Being able to turn on a music selection with a flick of the wrist certainly is vastly better than an in-car entertainment system full of pushbuttons. I got one of these here, and I never am able to work it unless the car is stationary.
why not get rid of the wheel completely? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:What about hands on the wheel? (Score:2)
Yeah, the problem is trying to get the little rubber seal on the phone open and plug in the headset. I bought a headset, and it's great to use (despite the attention thing, which I totally agree with you on), but a lot of the time if someone calls I don't bother with it, because it's harder to try and get that thing in than it is to drive one-handed for a couple minutes.
Re:What about hands on the wheel? (Score:2)
Confirmed by this study [utah.edu].
Cell Phones on the Road (Score:2, Informative)
Not having a phone held awkwardly while driving is a big help but you still loose a lot of your concentration on the road.
It sounds like an innovative control method but it still won't keep concentration purely on the road.
To deploy airbag... (Score:3, Funny)
Here in lies the problem (Score:2, Insightful)
Now with the desire to integrate a LCD screens, DVD player, Video Games and a whole host of distractions I loath to think what driving will be like in the
No physical touch... (Score:2)
The physical touch is important. It is important for the person to receive a physical feedback from the controls so that he can "feel" them moving.
It is not coincidence that many people still prefer the old-style clicking keyboards that give a nice tactile feedback.
btw. How are they going to distinguish between control and spontaneous gestures? Maybe the system will be forbidden
oh please Oh Please OH PLEASE?! (Score:2)
Please?
voice control (Score:2)
"(1) cars are noisy, so that technology needs much more work and (2) many people simply don't like the idea: "I would feel strange if I had to talk to my car," he says."
Personally, I'd rather give my car voice commands instead of hand gestures so I don't know where it comes up with #2. As for #1, I thought most modern cars (excluding cheapo cars like my neon) were pretty good at eliminating road noise. I suppose that would still leave issues with noise in the car such as radios
What ever happened to voice recognition? (Score:2)
So is this the e
They did this on the Osbournes... (Score:2)
NOT the problem with cell phones in cars, dammit! (Score:5, Insightful)
method of controlling things like your cell phone and stereo while keeping your eyes on the road
First off- my stereo in my car displays the FM frequency info in the gauge cluster, at the top, and I know all the controls by feel; the button groups are shaped with surfaces to let you recognize which button group you're on. This feature was introduced in 1989 by Audi, and continues in every single model they make- so this is solving a problem that doesn't exist, frankly. If one manufacturer can do it, any can- it's just smart design and a little bit of extra electronics.
Regardless, The problem is NOT the "taking your eyes off the road" bit. The problem, time after time, is your mental focus.
Researchers found that when a driver is talking on the cell phone, it's almost like they enter a tunnel of sorts- they loose their situational awareness(ie, "where are the other cars around me?" "what is my speed?" etc.) and sort of blankly stare ahead. You can recognize anyone in this "mode"; they look like some kind of automaton.
Of course, the phone companies say "that's absurd, people in cars talk to the driver". That's right(even right to the extent that many states limit passengers for young drivers, who haven't enough experience)- but when you're talking to the driver (studies have shown that) you stop talking to them if the situation the driver is in gets complicated- ie, a merge, someone starts to cut them off, an exit is coming up, or they're looking for a turn to make- or even if the driver suddenly changes their body language- and even that act of stopping talking to them can give the driver a wakeup call. People on the other end of the phone can't do any of this, of course.
But, have you ever wondered why the cellphone industry is happily embracing the hands-free stuff? They get to sell extra accessories at an absurd profit margin compared to the phone unit itself- and it distracts everyone from the much more "dangerous"(to them) truth- that people can't talk to other people safely unless they're in the car, ie, cell phone calls by drivers should be illegal PERIOD.
Stupid Mod Requests (Score:2, Funny)
No, I still hate them. Mod me down.
In other words, "me too".
Re:NOT the problem with cell phones in cars, dammi (Score:2)
Yup. Thats what this study [mercola.com] found.
Yes, Legislate Everything Why Don't We? (Score:2, Insightful)
Come on, making something that is not a direct infringement on another person illegal is what should be illegal. I should be able to do whatever I want in my car while driving, even if it's really stupid. But, the instant that effects someone else (I hit someone/something) I should be punished accordingly (because I will have then actually infringed on someone).
Studies have shown that computer ownership and fast internet connections correlate to
Didn't I see this on EFC (Score:2)
Keeping your eyes on the road is not the problem (Score:3, Informative)
"It's not just the physical distraction of holding the handset -- there's the intellectual distraction [newsfactor.com] of holding the conversation."
"...cell phone conversations using "hands-free" devices are just as likely [msnbc.com] to cause dangerous distractions as those conducted on hand held phones."
"There is a very substantial decrease in the amount of brain activity [go.com], the amount of neural activity allocated to driving, while you are simultaneously listening,"
Hang up and drive.
You Linux people... (Score:5, Funny)
HOLY FUCK!
*makes vulcan sign*
*crashes into tree*
Windows
A fatal exception 0E has occured at 0028:C004CDCF in VXD VNTFS(01) +
00000B987. The current application will be terminated.
* Press any key to terminate the current application.
* Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE again to restart you computer. You will lose any unsaved information in all applications.
* Pray that one of the above will work.
Press any key to continue_
Dumb idea (Score:5, Insightful)
Steering-wheel mounted controls are the way to go. Control the radio with you thumbs and maybe dial your phone with buttons in the middle of the wheel.
Controls need to be quick and simple. We don't have any laws saying you need a hands-free kit for your CB in any state that I know of because they aren't that distracting. A single button push or know twist will effect whatever changes you want, and no one hesitates to drop their mic if they need to, since they're desiged to handle it. Contrast this with a typical handheld cellphone: Tiny keys, poor tactile feedback, inefficient controls (volume buttons instead of a knob), tiny displays. Just think about how much time you take your eyes off the road to dial a seven digit number. Plenty of time to get you killed on the wrong day.
Voice dialing (for ANY number: "five-five-five-one-two-one-two"), volume control knobs, and a single button that takes the phone on and off-hook should be mandatory for all cellphones used while driving. NYS already has a law requiring the use of a "hands free" kit, but AFIAK just plugging and earbud into your phone satisfies that requrement.
Re:Dumb idea (Score:2)
With any phone system, there will be a tendancy to wait and see if the person has properly recognized your previous statement before returning your attention to the road.
Re:Dumb idea (Score:2)
I think you need to control your use of bold. Quickly.
What about Rage gestures? (Score:2)
Back Seat (Score:2, Funny)
Customizable gesture languages? (Score:2)
The perfect interface (Score:3, Insightful)
I love old VWs, because there is nothing to mess with. It's about driving.
Now it's about eating, calling, tuning, drinking, shaving, beautifying, watching, reading, screwing, eating, listening, drinking, and eating.
Not your hands, but your mind. (Score:2)
That is, the problem is not taking your eyes off the road, or your hands off the stearing wheel. Instead it is your attention off the road.
In fact, talking with someone in the passenger seat, that has their eyes closed and therefore does not pause when the traffic get's funky, should cause just as much problems as talking on the phone.
And what would make the horn beep? (Score:2)
The end of mooning (Score:2)
That said, I suppose the increasing size of the American ass is going to render the point moot, anyway. Video killed the radio star, but McDonalds killed mooning...
So, I'll be able to give my radio the finger... (Score:2)
OK!
Jon Acheson
Fuck Gesture Control (Score:2)
Re:Keyboard? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:That's great and all, but... (Score:2, Funny)