Touch screens in motor vehicles

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
old_windbag
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by old_windbag »

I just feel interacting with a touchscreen for car controls costs too much in visual processing( pretty heavyweight ) which takes too much away from attention too the road. With simple pushbutton or dial controls as in radio station controls or AC/heater, it becomes second nature the exact position( or even feel ) of the button/dial. Like playing a piano or guitar blind, after practice it's become automatic, muscle memory, no vision involved. Having the simple controls of up/down select, source select, volume on steering column has made that use even easier too and heater controls in centre of dash are easy and not distracting again automatic in physical use. Looking at a multifunction large touchscreen is in a different league of brain use and for most car functions overkill. If using a mobile or texting is bad at the wheel then touchscreen use( including sat nav ) must also be in that realm I'd have thought.

I think to have the dash information as head-up on windscreen would be very beneficial but thats not an interactive distraction. The student room post was just someone looking for a stereo system replacement but it raised bigger issues, which is why I flagged up the tesla multifunction tablet panel.

Just to add, voice control isn't ideal and it would have to come on leaps and bounds from the system in my car. It takes about 10-15 secs to do what I can manually do in 1-2secs. So it will improve as high end luxury car tech trickles down and better than visual tech.
tatanab
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by tatanab »

old_windbag wrote:I just feel interacting with a touchscreen for car controls costs too much in visual processing( pretty heavyweight ) which takes too much away from attention too the road.
Agreed. Especially if the item to be changed is down a level or two in the menus. Imagine to change the heating - select heating - select damper direction, return to heater setting, select blower, return to heater setting, select temperature -- phew, all done.
Bonefishblues
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by Bonefishblues »

Serious Q. Can one set short cuts on these "modern" devices, so one touch sets Mr's preferences, for instance?
old_windbag
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by old_windbag »

Bonefishblues wrote:Can one set short cuts on these "modern" devices


You'd expect so but putting many systems on one panel would, even with shortcuts, be distracting. Then we have the potential for non-responsiveness or crashes( software ), you know how ropey windows etc can be. Actually I think my flakey system is built on microsoft.... they've changed that now I believe( ford ).

I'm not a luddite in not being a fan of large touch screens but simply feel that for the amount of functions we need that pushbuttons and potentiometer dials are preferable. Behind those can still lie a microprocessor system controlling the said item but a less powerful one and not requiring an OS.

I remember on top gear where JC was having to program the modes of engine power and driving style into a bmw m5 using the "pie dish" controller knob to navigate the screen( stationary of course ). He was going mental, you just want to switch on and push the accelerator down don't you?.......
Bonefishblues
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by Bonefishblues »

old_windbag wrote:
Bonefishblues wrote:Can one set short cuts on these "modern" devices


You'd expect so but putting many systems on one panel would, even with shortcuts, be distracting. Then we have the potential for non-responsiveness or crashes( software ), you know how ropey windows etc can be. Actually I think my flakey system is built on microsoft.... they've changed that now I believe( ford ).

I'm not a luddite in not being a fan of large touch screens but simply feel that for the amount of functions we need that pushbuttons and potentiometer dials are preferable. Behind those can still lie a microprocessor system controlling the said item but a less powerful one and not requiring an OS.

I remember on top gear where JC was having to program the modes of engine power and driving style into a bmw m5 using the "pie dish" controller knob to navigate the screen( stationary of course ). He was going mental, you just want to switch on and push the accelerator down don't you?.......

In an ideal world there would be just two buttons on the screen, setting mine and Mrs E's preferences* at a single touch. That would be good and progressive use of modern tech (or even better, a single voice command for same)

*seat position, audio, temperature etc.
old_windbag
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by old_windbag »

You could set those perhaps from the users key or smart recognition as you say voice or finger/retina scan type method. The critical setting being seat, steering column and perhaps pedal position and mirror position. These probably impact more being driver size related.
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mjr
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by mjr »

squeaker wrote:
Tangled Metal wrote:What is the difference between pressing physical push buttons on a radio and touchscreen buttons?
Haptics? Push buttons can easily identify themselves by feel. In principle a smart touchscreen could do the same - do they?

Not on the Opel Corsa we hired earlier this year. So only the passenger used it while the vehicle was in motion, but I bet not every driver will refrain :-(

old_windbag wrote:You could set those perhaps from the users key or smart recognition as you say voice or finger/retina scan type method. The critical setting being seat, steering column and perhaps pedal position and mirror position. These probably impact more being driver size related.

It would have to be done as the doors are unlocked to be any use to me, because I cannot sit in the car or reach the centre console with the seat where my wife has it... so I've got pretty good at reaching in and pushing the seat release! I'm not sure why you'd want them to move themselves about.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Bonefishblues
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by Bonefishblues »

mjr wrote:It would have to be done as the doors are unlocked to be any use to me, because I cannot sit in the car or reach the centre console with the seat where my wife has it... so I've got pretty good at reaching in and pushing the seat release! I'm not sure why you'd want them to move themselves about.

Because many people who drive a car are (very in the case of my wife and me) different shapes and fixing a position in an electric seat's memory (along with mirrors) is a very good way to ensure that things fit optimally before setting out. I am unable to physically get into my wife's car with the seat in her position.
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mjr
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by mjr »

Bonefishblues wrote:
mjr wrote:I'm not sure why you'd want them to move themselves about.

Because many people who drive a car are (very in the case of my wife and me) different shapes and fixing a position in an electric seat's memory (along with mirrors) is a very good way to ensure that things fit optimally before setting out. I am unable to physically get into my wife's car with the seat in her position.

Like I said, I also cannot get into the car with the seat too far forwards, so I need to move it before I get in. Once I'm in, I'm quite happy to adjust the controls myself. The optimal positions vary slightly with thickness of my coat, amongst other things, so a memorised position is likely to need fine-tuning similar to a reset and I'd much rather have mechanical controls than electric for that.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Bonefishblues
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by Bonefishblues »

mjr wrote:
Bonefishblues wrote:
mjr wrote:I'm not sure why you'd want them to move themselves about.

Because many people who drive a car are (very in the case of my wife and me) different shapes and fixing a position in an electric seat's memory (along with mirrors) is a very good way to ensure that things fit optimally before setting out. I am unable to physically get into my wife's car with the seat in her position.

Like I said, I also cannot get into the car with the seat too far forwards, so I need to move it before I get in. Once I'm in, I'm quite happy to adjust the controls myself. The optimal positions vary slightly with thickness of my coat, amongst other things, so a memorised position is likely to need fine-tuning similar to a reset and I'd much rather have mechanical controls than electric for that.

I don't think we can be as precise as you with your mechanical adjustment, clearly, but it is jolly handy to simultaneously move the seat down, backwards, and the angle of both seat base and back along with two mirrors within about 5 seconds consistently and accurately.
Last edited by Bonefishblues on 11 Dec 2017, 11:18pm, edited 1 time in total.
Tangled Metal
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by Tangled Metal »

Personally I try not to do much other than the minimum needed to drive. Before setting off I'll turn the radio or CD on then leave it. Lights on auto setting. Wipers are off or auto setting. I'm operating the parts of the car that's concerned with the control of the car only. Except occasionally I'll press the button on one of the stalks that changes the part of the dashboard display that has the clock, temp, miles per gallon, miles range left, etc. It's one press to cycle to the next info on the list and has a very low distraction level I reckon.

If I wanted to I could change the radio presets, switch to CD player, aux, etc, change the volume and even mute the radio from buttons on the wheel. I don't use them much and actually forgot they were there but the first year of our ownership of this car.

So personally I think any use of a centre of the car mounted radio, screen, satnav, etc is not safe for a driver to use. If it's a touch screen or physical buttons I think of it as passenger operated or operated by the driver when stationary. One might be safer than the other but IMHO they're both going to result in a level of distraction from the act of driving that makes them potentially unsafe.
old_windbag
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by old_windbag »

On the subject of large touchscreens or smartphones. One thing I really hate about them is when you work with people who regularly sit picking their nose :roll: . Then you have the day when you need to contact someone they know and they hand the smartphone and say "here use that, give them a call" and you can see all the smeary marks on the touchscreen :shock: .

So that tesla screens going to be a treat to use when sharing a car trip :( . I'm off to invent the disposable touchscreen glove for such situations.
Tangled Metal
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by Tangled Metal »

So the smartphone is as disgustingly germ ridden as...well as a landlines phone. Shock news!

I bet you don't eat peanuts in a bar or touch toilet door handles or shake hands with ppl or use ATM machines or go to hospitals or...

Put simply there's plenty of gross out stuff you're living with without complaints. Just add these to the list of stuff that's gross but you live with anyway and forget about it. Just wash your hands before eating out preparing food.
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by Username »

Bonefishblues wrote:
Username wrote:Came across this when browsing the internet:

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showth ... ?t=5089848

Some muppet looking for a touch screen for his car. astonishing!? No wonder NASA has setup SETI to search for intelligent life (they have started searching in space now).

The poster is looking for a replacement radio (aka in car entertainment) unit with a touchscreen which many now feature, in preference to using knobs and buttons. I'm not sure why that makes them a muppet.


I read the post as someone who wanted a touch screen device of some sort in their car. In my view, touch screens and driving are like electronics and bath time. They generally dont go well together. So if someone intends to use a touchscreen device while driving, then yes, it makes them a muppet. A dangerous one.
Bonefishblues
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Re: This absolutely beggars belief!

Post by Bonefishblues »

Tangled Metal wrote:So the smartphone is as disgustingly germ ridden as...well as a landlines phone. Shock news!

I bet you don't eat peanuts in a bar or touch toilet door handles or shake hands with ppl or use ATM machines or go to hospitals or...

Put simply there's plenty of gross out stuff you're living with without complaints. Just add these to the list of stuff that's gross but you live with anyway and forget about it. Just wash your hands before eating out preparing food.

You are not Howard Hughes AICMFP :D

Anyone remember the Top Gear used car seat analysis of a few years ago :?
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