BMW may be looking to add holograms to its cars, but Bosch wants to make things a little more tactile. In partnership with Ultrahaptics, Bosch has developed a concept car that has touch-free, haptic controls built into the dashboard. The pair is demonstrating the technology at the Consumer Electronics Show this week. Ultrahaptics’ touchless technology is said to make it easier and safer to change settings and control car features because it uses gestures rather than precise fingers movements. It uses ultrasound to create a so-called haptic response directly on the driver's hands, without the need for them to hold special equipment, and this can be used to track hand and finger movements. Such gesture controls can be used to switch on the radio, change tracks, use sat nav and more. "The growth we have seen this year and the breadth of applications where our technology is being utilised is staggering," said Steve Cliffe, CEO of Ultrahaptics. "The Bosch application at CES demonstrates how touchless gesture recognition can help car makers gain greater market acceptance for the incorporation of gesture control." A similar system is already available to buy from Logitech. Earlier this year, the Lausanne-based firm launched its ZeroTouch gadget in the UK, which adds smart features to any car using just an air vent. When connected to an Android phone, the smart car mount responds to gestures, voice commands and can even help you use individual apps as you drive. It uses sensors to detect gestures, but doesn't offer the haptic feedback in Bosch and Ultrahaptics' concept. ZeroTouch is compatible with Android smartphones running Android OS 4.4 or later, and requires an active Bluetooth connection.
Bosch has developed a concept car that has touch-free, haptic controls built into the dashboard. The prototype, shown at the CES technology show in Las Vegas, uses ultrasound to detect drivers’ hand and finger movements, and allow them to control car features with gestures. The concept car has been developed in partnership with Ultrahaptics. Logitech already has a similar system for sale — its ZeroTouch gadget uses sensors to detect gestures, but it does not offer haptic feedback as Bosch and Ultrahaptic's prototype does.