{"id":33275,"date":"2022-10-09T19:11:56","date_gmt":"2022-10-09T23:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=33275"},"modified":"2022-10-09T19:11:56","modified_gmt":"2022-10-09T23:11:56","slug":"bmw-gesture-control-ahead-of-its-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=33275","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: BMW Gesture Control Was Ahead of Its Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

BMW\u2019s gesture control wasn\u2019t a hit when it debuted back in 2015<\/a>. Press either ignored it entirely, couldn\u2019t operate it, or found it to be redundant. Worse still: as recently as this year<\/em>, some well-respected outlets have even reduced it to \u201ca gimmick\u201d. Tragically, it seems BMW may have been listening. Gesture control has been dropping off models as of late \u2013 see the most recent 4 and 5 Series packaging. And while the root cause is potentially supply chain related, I\u2019m not optimistic. This is dire, because BMW\u2019s head might just have been in the right place when they started pursuing gesture control. Sadly, however, they were not in the right time.<\/p>\n

Gesture control debuted in 2015, when touchscreens were just starting to really enter the mainstream. Consumers were \u2013 and still are \u2013 dead set on believing that the touch screen is the future. Even critical audiences weren\u2019t often discussing the potential dangers of the touch screen yet. Today, tech-critical audiences endlessly <\/em>rally against the widespread adoption of touchscreens in the automotive space. And there\u2019s no shortage of good reasons.<\/p>\n

Gesture Control\u2019s Origins <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Gesture-controlled systems have their roots as early as 1980. Most early systems depended on a combination of both voice and gesture and demanded the use of a wrist sensor. As technology progressed into the 1990s and early 2000s, incremental changes most extended to using different outside devices. Gloves, a pendant, and even fingertip devices are all examples of the baby steps gesture control took up until the 2010s. More familiar may be devices like the Nintendo Wii or Xbox Kinect.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2015, where BMW implements a camera-based system into their newest 7 Series. Though camera-based systems had been done before, this was the first time it had been integrated into something as pedestrian as a car \u2013 and the first time it had been implemented at such an approachable scale. Gesture control in the 7 Series also laid the groundwork for what BMW dubbed \u201cnatural interaction\u201d \u2013 a promise of vehicle interface comprised of gestures, looks, and voice commands.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Problem that Gesture Control Solves in Cars<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We can\u2019t talk about how good gesture control is until we explain the problem it solves \u2013 and that problem is touch screens. While not inherently bad, touch screens create very bad habits while driving. The first of which is distracted driving. The most relatable comparison is adjusting your driving position in a car. You know where the lever, button, or switch is. And you could \u2013 likely very easily \u2013 adjust it without needing to look at it. If you\u2019re really<\/em> good, you might even be able to do this after sitting in the car only once or twice. Another good example is the volume knob \u2013 once you know where it is, you don\u2019t necessarily need to look for it. This is good, easy, and most importantly safe design.<\/p>\n

Touch screens remove that familiarity and instead require you to look away from the road<\/em> in order to make a selection. And while most seat settings haven\u2019t yet migrated to the screen, some automakers have moved things like climate control, drive modes, and even glove box operation to screen control only \u2013 and that sets a dangerous precedent.<\/p>\n

Another problem is less serious but still important. Lazy design! Before touchscreens, car interiors made an important statement about the car. Cars like the A80 Supra and original NSX featured unique, well-designed and clearly driver-centric interiors. Sadly, that\u2019s no longer the case when every OEM decides slapping a tablet on the dash is the recipe for success. Another design-centric problem is the fact that a screen encroaches on front-facing outward visibility.<\/p>\n

Gesture Control\u2019s Stacked Odds and Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In 2015, touchscreens were catching on. But they weren\u2019t quite everywhere, and most vehicles still had quite a few physical buttons. Arguably, there wasn\u2019t a huge need for gesture control yet; a balance of touchscreen and physical buttons<\/a> is quite ideal. Gesture control was unnecessary as it only performed functions that were otherwise performable via the iDrive controller or other physical buttons.<\/p>\n

Even worse, mainstream media \u2013 even many BMW proponents \u2013 generally did not view gesture control favorably. Calling it redundant and gimmicky is the result of physical buttons being present \u2013 and this immediately sours public opinion, even before playing around with gesture control for yourself.<\/p>\n

Finally, gesture control seems to have forever existed amidst a cloud of misunderstanding. Nearly nobody I know in the automotive industry took any amount of time to understand how gesture control worked, or why it was important and useful. Few outside of the BMW world even knew it existed! And why would they \u2013 the only press was negative. Not exactly presented as the cutting edge \u2013 because its usefulness hadn\u2019t yet been realized.<\/p>\n

So, sadly, with a future of touchscreens staring us back in the face, I fear that BMW may have abandoned what could have been a road forward. Imagine a gesture control that could turn on your heated seats, instead of having to select three different options on a touch screen? Or even integrating a voice and gesture function to ensure accuracy \u2013 the way gesture-based interaction began almost five decades ago.<\/p>\n

Hopefully BMW has not taken the criticisms of gesture control to heart; they\u2019ve been on to something for over half a decade. And if we\u2019re doomed to a touchscreen future, I\u2019d like mine with gesture control, please.<\/p>\n