Jaguar Land Rover is exploring a unique assisted navigation system, which uses thermal pulses sent into the steering wheel to tell the driver what direction to take. The device could be used to transmit other information.
After the virtual windshield 360, the wheel doped IA and the autonomous car that makes the eye to pedestrians, Jaguar Land Rover returns with a new driver assistance system again surprising. It is a “sensory steering wheel” where parts can be heated or cooled very quickly to let the driver know if he should turn right, left, slow down or change lanes.
According to the manufacturer, this device could prove useful in conditions of reduced visibility in bad weather or because of the configuration of the road.
To develop this thermal system, Jaguar has partnered with the University of Glasgow (United Kingdom). It operates on both sides of the steering wheel, at the level of the area where the driver places his hands. The difference in temperature, hot or cold, can reach 6 degrees Celsius, but it would be possible to set the range according to his preferences.
The technology has also been applied to the shift paddles speeds to let the driver know when the transition to autonomous driving mode is effective.
Interesting but complex to integrate
” Jaguar Land Rover’s research suggests that thermal cues could be a way to keep drivers fully focused on the road, ” says the builder. This type of sensory information could also be used to warn the driver when approaching a dangerous intersection or to send less urgent notifications instead of sound indications deemed too intrusive.
The idea is interesting, but it is hard to see how it could be used to broadcast such varied notifications. It would be necessary to play on the intensity of the thermal pulse and its duration, which supposes that the driver memorizes these different scenarios. Not really obvious.