Vehicles are evolving each day, and so are their features and onboard comfort. With constant innovation in the field of technology, cars are becoming smarter each day. Even classic devices such as infotainments have now notched up to become touchless! Yes, you read that right. So here’s all you need to know about predictive touchscreens.
The “what” of predictive touchscreens
Touchscreens have revolutionized the way we look at car interiors nowadays. But much like all other innovations, touchscreens too have come a long way, and have evolved into predictive touchscreens.
But the biggest concern revolving around touchscreens is the fact that they can cause a major distraction to focused driving. But to combat this situation, the latest innovative solution is predictive touchscreens; an innovation that can precisely predict the icon you are trying to poke. Developed by Jaguar Land Rover’s Human Machine Interface Research Group and the University of Cambridge, the predictive touchscreen system smartly predicts what the user’s finger is aiming for before even it makes contact.
Thus, predictive touchscreens do the job without the need for an accurate touch, which goes a long way in reducing distractions of using a touchscreen in the first place, that is largely caused due to the need of focusing on areas, drivers need to operate.
Also Read: 5 Cars Under 10 Lakhs With The Biggest Touchscreen Infotainment System
The “how” of predictive touchscreens
Coming to the technology part, as the user/driver/passenger moves their hand towards the touchscreen, the intelligent system tracks their hand movements using a time of flight (ToF) camera and keeps a track of hand positions relative to the screen.
The ToF camera uses an infrared light spectrum to achieve a 3D mapping of the hand movement. The camera can also be used in sync with a vision-based system that works much like radar and measures the time taken for the light it emits to bounce back from the subject. This way, the ‘time of flight’ camera coupled with machine learning has made the Predictive Touch screen possible.
Also Read: Dream Garage Under 15 Lakhs; 5 Best Combos Of A Hatchback + SUV
The future of the technology
Now that you know all about the tech, you must be wondering how this system can reduce distraction. Well, as per an academic paper published by Jaguar Land Rover and the University of Cambridge, the data collected from 20 participants in various driving conditions showed “that a predictive display can reduce workload, effort, and duration of completing on-screen selection tasks in vehicles”. With predictive touchscreens onboard, interactions with touchscreens can be reduced by as much as 50%. But the practical advantage of the tech can only be understood when it arrives onboard!
Till then, stay pinned to the GoMechanic Blog for everything automotive.
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