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 THE STAT 26Percentage of wireless customers who use their cell phones to take picturesMore Vitals
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SEPTEMBER 14, 2004
Coming to a Dashboard Near You [Page 2 of 2] EYES ON THE ROAD. "Baby boomers won't like driving those systems because they feel so alien," says Immersion's DiNucci. BMW introduced an electronic steering system in its 5-series in 2003 (see BW Online, 4/9/04, "21st Century Cars Hit the Road"), but it was accompanied by a parallel mechanical system that's still required by U.S. law for safety reasons. Such electonic systems won't completely replace mechanical ones for another decade at least, says DiNucci. Carmakers are tentatively experimenting with various solutions to these issues, mostly in higher-end models. iDrive, which is offered only in BMW's top three luxury model series, is just the most prominent example. Ford has built a programmable display into the center console of its Lincoln Navigator SUV and Lincoln LS sedans that toggles between a navigation system and sound-system controler. These changes have been well received, and as the cost of building them declines, Ford may include them in some lower-end models 5 to 10 years from now. More and more, though, auto makers are focusing on building control systems that don't require a driver to look away from the road to check the dashboard. These new systems will communicate with the driver either through sound or touch. Carmakers believe that this will alleviate existing visual overload and allow drivers to focus on the main task at hand. According to Johnson Controls' Fluharty, the average driver can take his eyes off the road for only 1.5 seconds before a panic reflex kicks in. Older drivers, who require more time to take in visual cues, can absorb even less information during this brief interval than younger drivers. TACTILE COMMUNICATION. That's why most auto makers are busily enhancing the voice-recognition systems they're building into their luxury models. In early September, Honda announced that it would include new IBM-powered voice recognition in three 2005 models. It will be an option priced at $2,000 for the Odyssey minivan and the Acura MDX sport utility and a standard feature on the Acura RL sedan. The system will recognize 700 different types of commands and will hold a database containing 1.2 million places and street names (see BW Online, 1/9/04, "Intelligent Conversation -- with Your Car"). Voice recognition will supposedly allow drivers to ask the car normal questions and give it commands in conversational sentences. Such systems are relatively rare in cars but that could change. Carmakers sold about 2 million voice-recognition systems in the U.S. in 2003, according to Telematics Research Group, an auto technology consulting firm. That number is expected to surpass 11 million by 2010 as the cost of voice recognition declines to a fraction of its current $500 to $1,000 per car. Carmakers are also exploring tactile-feedback systems that use the sense of touch and vibrations felt by the back, foot, or arm to communicate information. Such systems could, for example, simulate the road feel of mechanical steering in cars with electronic-steering systems. A sensor in the electronic system would record that the road was slippery and instruct the steering wheel to give off a looser, shakier feel to let the driver know what's happening. NEAR-FUTURE FEATURES. Immersion's DiNucci claims that building tactile feedback into buttons and controls will also allow drivers to better keep their eyes on the road. A car that's about to run out of gas could give three sharp vibrations on the gas pedal to let the driver know how low the fuel level has gone rather than require her to look at the instrument panel. For the most part, these innovations remain several years out even in luxury cars -- and perhaps a decade away in lower-end models. But as more and more baby boomers pass their 65th birthdays, the attraction of these features could make the car of the future a reality instead of an auto-show attraction.
 By Alex Salkever, Technology editor for BusinessWeek Online
BW MALL
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