Satellite navigation is a godsend, preventing millions of us from getting lost, or getting us out of a motorway-shaped pickle when we do lose our way. The only problem is sometimes having to take your eyes off the road when using them. An alternative dreamt up by researchers uses vibrating steering wheels to signal direction through the wheel using haptic feedback. It could the future of sat-nav.
The clever idea stems from AT&T Labs Carnegie Mellon University. The team in question has come up with a wheel that has 20 actuators that vibrate in order to tell the driver which direction to drive in.
In use an anticlockwise vibration would signal to the driver to left. A clockwise vibration would mean to turn right. A study by the university discovered that in conjunction with regular sat-nav instructions, the haptic feedback wheel helped to delivered clear benefits.
Users eyes stayed on the roads for longer, Technology Review reports. Because the signal comes from the wheel there is nothing to look at, improving driver safety, since drivers can keep their eyes firmly on the road.
The invention is also suggested as a more reliable alternative to voice commands that can sometimes be misheard, or missed altogether due to traffic noise. It was found that haptics-equipped drivers made fewer errors.
If it takes off, who knows, your next drive could be a more physical experience.
This blog was posted by The Gadget Show.
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