Haptic feedback for gesture-control HMI

Mid-air gesture controls rely on sophisticated sensing to aid the human-machine interface and help keep drivers' eyes on the road.

Gesture control is becoming more commonplace in many of the devices we use in our daily lives, from games consoles, swiping and pinching on mobile phones, to point-of-sale devices such as ticketing systems in train stations. The automotive segment is already adopting gesture control for infotainment systems as well as serving as a human-machine interface (HMI) for subsystems such as the sunroof, climate control and audio.

BMW's latest 7 Series and 5 Series offer an HMI system that can detect four different gestures: setting the car's navigation, browsing apps and starting the audio, answering phone calls and controlling the on-board computer. Volkswagen last year announced gesture controls on its Golf and pledges to spread the technology across its model ranges. Other major OEMs have the technology in their product pipelines.