Article Abstracts | February 2007
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Futuristic Instrument Panel
An optically based prototype customizable display integrates telematics, video and common controls to enhance driver information.
by Tim D. Pryor Jr., Digital Dash Ltd.
One problem with using display technology such as LCDs to relay necessary information to a driver is that some controls benefit from or even require physical knobs and dials. These can be difficult or impossible to integrate with some types of displays.
However, a control interface called the reconfigurable tactile display from Digital Dash Ltd. of Montreal incorporates real knobs, buttons and sliders onto a screen for the driver’s display (Figure 1). Software-driven, electro-optically based, it employs a solid-state camera to project an image from behind the dashboard onto a screen for viewing. The concept, which is in the early stages of development, mixes projection display and machine vision technology with controls for an unusual human-machine interface. The image might be a map or the usual automobile controls, such as radio volume or air conditioning...
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