The use of digital gestures for a safe driving

Digital technologies, sensors, connections capabilities, infotainment devices are literally invading the car interiors and are making users envisioning a sort of new seamless driving modality. Today, instead, from the design research point of view the crucial point is not the addition of other innovative functions inside a car, already set in the complex mobility system, but the study of the human ability to interact and manage needs in connection with personal tools. The innovation lies in a rediscovery of natural gestures able to be operated with a very low cognitive workload in a context that can be distracting and often safety critical. In this way the current trend that plans to integrate more and more visual attention demanding tools such as touch screens into the dashboard, is transformed into a new driving experience through a filtered recovery mode of interaction. The aim is to study which is the natural interaction language, how it can be used to drive safely, sustaining the pleasure of driving. This perspective considers, of course, the reduction of information that can be visualized but the research analyses the opportunities that are provided by digital connections and relations in order to simply activate functions fitted for the ongoing situation, for the driver’s needs, for the car itself. The results of different series of tests, during the research, bring out useful data to create correct interaction design concepts, personalization utilities and possibilities of continuous updating of durable systems as cars.