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It means that the lines are starting to blur as connected technology enters vehicle cabins. You need only look at the number of companies that now offer access to both Apple and Android ecosystems in their vehicles and the increasing use of touchscreens.
But integrating technologies born in the consumer electronics world creates a range of challenges, not least of which is how users interact safely with onboard systems.
The human-machine interface (HMI) is now incredibly complex. HMI systems have retreated from using physical buttons, which have been replaced with touchscreens, proximity sensors and voice controls. You only have to look at the systems Daimler, BMW and Audi have engineered to see where the industry is going. But it’s pitted engineers and designers against one another.
Designers want clean lines in the vehicle, which digital controls deliver, but it can be to the detriment of practicality and ultimately safety.
Research conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety in the US found that it took an average of 30 seconds to send a text message, but entering a destination into a vehicle’s navigation system took 40 seconds. At 25mph those 40 seconds equate to travelling nearly 460m without paying attention to the road ahead.
The automotive industry needs to find a solution that will balance the need to become more digital but with HMIs that don’t distract and are intuitive.
Texas Instruments has conducted research into how systems can be developed, and in its report Designing Infotainment Systems that are Interactive, not Distractive highlights a number of solutions.
Voice commands
Firstly, voice recognition using far-field microphone arrays could initiate actions without distracting drivers, much like the virtual assistants in smart speakers.
Artificial intelligence voice software offers improved recognition of voice commands as well as more detailed responses. Far-field microphone arrays help improve accuracy in noisy vehicles. Voice-activated systems may be one of the best solutions to the distraction problem.
Next is gesture recognition. “With a simple swipe of the hand or twirl of the finger, drivers can control systems for comfort and convenience without taking their eyes off the road. Next-generation vehicles will offer straightforward contextual menu selection, screen manipulation or even a combination of gesturing paired with voice control,” said Mike Claassen, general manager of infotainment systems at Texas Instruments.
Another option is to integrate virtual buttons which give a greater level of feedback even on a touchscreen.
Haptics feedback can provide a tactile feel to a smooth surface, and although it’s been around for a while it isn’t widely deployed in the automotive industry. But the ability to interact through non-visual feedback helps make touch surfaces less distractive.
“Simulating the touch of a simple key press or more complicated zoom or scroll actions helps validate to users that the desired action has been initiated in a non-visual way. Haptics enables users to engage with the touchpad without requiring their full attention,” said Claassen.
The draw of touchscreens may be too much to ignore and it’s a technology that’s here to stay, so interacting with them will have to evolve to minimise distraction to drivers.
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.