Auto News October 1, 2007, 1:27PM EST

Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques

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Audi A8 reflecting environment in RTT RealTrace. RTT

Immersive virtual reality vehicle interior with touch-feedback gloves by Virtual Eye. Brett Patterson

Holvizio 3D display system with motion tracking. Brett Patterson

Rotating and scaling a sketch using a multi-touch tablet by JazzMutant. Brett Patterson

Digital watch using E-Ink technology. Brett Patterson

Story Tools

Hungarian company Holografika demonstrated Holovizio, a system capable of displaying a complex object model in real time and creating animated images in true 3D (without glasses) with full, observer-independent, continuous parallax within a large workspace. Each observer sees their own unique viewpoint of the virtual model, and a motion-capture system enables users to move the model by directly touching it as it appears from their viewpoint.

Researchers from the University of Tokyo presented 'Transparent Cockpit', which uses a virtual reality goggle system to present images from the outside world to the driver as if the interior panels are transparent. The aim is to help navigation in narrow streets, reversing, collision avoidance, as well as presenting a wider view of the sky or landscape, in the same way that a convertible does.

One of the biggest themes at Siggraph this year was multi-touch displays, breaking away from the 30-year-old convention of a single cursor (or single finger tip) on the screen to enable a much richer interaction…allowing for example painting with several fingers or both hands, and moving multiple objects at once. For a designer using a sketch tablet, this could allow moving, rotating and scaling a sketch by using natural hand gestures.

The new Apple iPhone uses a touch screen with multi-touch for zooming on maps or photos, by 'pinching' with two fingers. This is one of the first mainstream products to use multi-touch, and if the influence of the iPod is anything to go by, we can expect this type of interface to gain wide use in the near future. Automotive applications could include a more gestural approach to control of navigation displays, with panning, rotating and zooming achieved with natural gestures on the screen, increasing convenience and safety by eliminating separate switches and controllers.

Moving in to the realm of 'Minority Report' style displays were demonstrations of multi-touch, multi-user, and even multi-sided interaction (which allowed control of objects by two users on each side of a glass screen).

Microsoft demonstrated 'Surface', a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor that small groups can use at the same time. Aimed initially at hotels, retail, restaurants, and public entertainment venues, it allows users to 'grab' digital information through touch and gesture, and recognizes many points of contact simultaneously. Users can place physical objects on the surface to trigger different types of responses. For example in a mobile phone shop the system can recognise particular mobile phone models and then provide services for that phone.

Mitsubishi's MERL research group demonstrated their Diamond Touch table-top display, that supports small group collaboration by allowing users to maintain eye contact while interacting with the display simultaneously (without having to take turns). The system not only recognises hand and finger postions, but also recognises each user and can assign different capabilities to each of them.

An application of this could be in large shared displays in a vehicle, where the driver has priority for important control functions, but where other users can also interact with the display for information and entertainment functions. For example, a passenger would be able to independently interact with the navigation system to explore local attractions, without disturbing the driver's selected route map, the system keeping track of who is doing what.

E-Ink Corporation showed their e-paper technology for displays with ultra-low power consumption, a thin flexible form, and daylight readability. The viewer has the experience of reading from paper, yet can still update the information. This technology is now being incorporated into many applications, including electronic readers, cell phones, signage, and memory devices. As it develops further, electronic paper will enable us to read and see up-to-date information with a paper-like experience without the negative environmental impact of cutting down forests and disposing of thousands of tons of paper, or the high energy wastage of conventional electronic displays. The next stage in e-paper development from the current monochrome electronic ink will be to achieve high-volume production and enable full-color, flexible, rollable displays. While the flexible displays are still experimental, the technology has already been used in production mobile phones and other consumer electronics, and could soon find its way into vehicle interiors, especially in situations requiring high resolution, high contrast, persistent information display.

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