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Every day, commuters spend around one hour in the driver's seat of their car on average, traveling a median distance of 25 miles. With so much time spent in a vehicle, carmakers are intent on making the journey safer and more enjoyable. In large part, that's accomplished with human-machine interface tech, or HMI technology.
What that looks like for each auto manufacturer is unique, but industry-wide there are certain trends surrounding HMI design and development that permeate virtually every brand's ethos.
There is arguably nothing that has a greater potential to affect how drivers interact with their vehicle and the world around them than voice. Speech recognition has gone great lengths in recent years, and natural language can be used to control many aspects of a vehicle through its automotive HMI. It's gone well beyond the early stages of Bluetooth calls, allowing drivers to request navigation to a destination, find infotainment, adjust climate control, and even make reservations or place an order at a restaurant without actually making a phone call.
Indirect speech control is the next burgeoning tech, taking inferences like a passenger saying, "I'm cold," and adjusting the climate zone for their comfort.
Unlike video games, augmented reality (AR) doesn't require the driver to wear anything extra. The developments in AR have been in smaller, less distracting tech that seamlessly fits into a driver's normal actions. Head-up displays (HUDs) are becoming commonplace, putting relevant operating and navigational information in a driver's view, negating the need to look away from the road.
Whole-windshield AR displays have been in development seriously for a few years. When that reaches the mass market, it has widespread implications on identifying and communicating hazards to the driver as well as convenient directions or identifiers for points of interest. If an EV is low on charge, for instance, the nearest charging station could be identified in the driver's view. Digital services for automotive companies and providers can even be advertised or sponsored.
While all HMI development for automotive has some direct or indirect implication on safety, advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) technologies are perhaps the most crucial. What's been heavily researched recently is the ability for the driver to comprehend other stimuli aside from visual cues, and haptic or audible cues tend to be more easily processed in times of stress.
Safety-centric systems like steering wheel vibrations or audible tones, combined with warning lights, have a greater propensity of helping avoid a collision. Aided by dozens of sensors and cameras around a vehicle, ADAS HMI solutions are aimed at saving lives primarily.
The implementation of autonomous driving is a target that carmakers are aiming to achieve in the next few years, and HMI development will play a key part in making that a reality. In the meantime, a select number of drivers are trying to circumvent systems like you'll find among Tesla's FSD beta program users.
To ensure drivers are engaged with their role as operator behind the wheel, developments in driver monitoring systems have been a focal point. Carmakers including General Motors, Tesla, Subaru, Ford, and Toyota have cameras that check a driver's attentiveness, reminding them to keep their eyes on the road if they are distracted, or recommending a break if they seem sleepy.
The future of driving is going to look very different in the next decade. HMI developers like Star agency as well as carmakers around the globe are constantly working to improve safety and operability with tech. These are just four trends you're likely to see adopted by many during that time.
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