BMW Gesture Control System To Now Be Equipped In Motorcycles
The system would use sensors pointed at the ends of the handlebar and help the rider navigate through the menus with ease.
BMW has patented gesture control system for motorcycles after having successfully integrated the function in its road cars.
Hand gestures are a must for motorcyclists in India, although crazy times do necessitate the usage of certain signs not specified in the rule book.
As much as avid riders would disagree with lawmakers and activists trying to paint riding a motorcycle as a dangerous act, there is a growing consensus among bikers that bikes are getting ever so complex these days.
As one moves up the ladder and throws a leg over a big bike, he or she would be greeted with a myriad of buttons that do many things.
While it only takes a while before one gets used to how the buttons, especially the ones to get through the menus each of which have about 10 submenus, operate, some manufacturers do make the process ever so harder.
This is where the BMW gesture control for motorcycles might come in handy, for a set of simple hand gestures would effectively replace the need to scroll through the bike’s menus.
The patent image is not very detailed. But, it does show that the BMW gesture control system will make use of sensors mounted under the rear-view mirrors which point to the business ends of the handlebar.
They would be able to detect movements of the rider’s hands, presumably with gloves on, and when preset gestures are detected by the system, the rider would be able to control the settings.
At the onset, BMW is expected to rollout only a handful of gestures (like spinning the index finger, sliding a finger left or right) that would help the rider control the most basic settings.
However, with time, one could be able to adjust the cruise control settings, change the riding modes, access rider aids, among several other functions with the tech.
Do note that the BMW gesture control system will not replace buttons, but would merely assist the rider to easily access select settings without complexity.
Looks like future BMW motorcycle owners would have to learn a bit of sign language to communicate with their toys after all.
Source – Visordown.com
