Google files patent to allow hand gestures to control car
Driverless cars are still many years off. But Google is working on a system that would let a driver use hand gestures — polite ones — to control some functions in the car.
For instance, waving a hand in front of a window could raise or lower it. The driver could adjust the radio station or volume, and the air conditioning, with a turn of the hand.
Individual gestures two pointing fingers, a closed fist, a thumbs up would control different functions. The principle is similar to the way video games, such as Xbox Kinect, work.
The system uses a depth camera mounted on the roof and a laser scanner to read the gestures.
The technology could be a step on the way to driverless cars, Geekwire notes. It could be a way for Google to build relationships with automakers and drivers before trying to replace the driver entirely, says writer Blair Hanley Frank.
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