Volkswagen corrected course and returned to physical buttons, but now it dives into another puddle: eye controls

The trend in current cars hitting the market, as you may know, is to equip them with increasingly larger touchscreens, to limit the presence of buttons, and to centralize practically all vehicle functions in the onboard multimedia systems.

However, there is a strong movement calling for a return to physical buttons. In Volkswagen, for example, they have had to correct their course with the arrival of the latest Tiguan, which has resorted to more classic controls that will also be seen in the brand's upcoming news.

The truth is that the Germans “missed the mark” with their bet a few years ago on haptic buttons and touch sliders. They were sold as a way to improve driver interaction with the car but turned out to be complicated to use and not intuitive. That is, the opposite of what they were aiming for.

Now that Volkswagen has listened to its customers, we have learned that they have just patented a multimedia system that could reignite controversy around the German brand if implemented and does not have the desired effect. It is a technology that uses eye tracking to operate some of the vehicle's controls.

A technology that seems very complex

Volkswagen has submitted a new application to the German Patent and Trademark Office. What the German brand proposes is a system that includes a camera aimed at the driver that can perform gaze tracking.

We would return to a situation where fewer physical controls would be needed, as it would be enough to install a series of “universal buttons” on the steering wheel or dashboard, which would change their functions based on where the driver looks.

The VW patent goes very far and includes many potential applications that could fall within this system: the multimedia system itself, the climate control, the seat heating, the headlights, the exterior mirrors, the windshield wipers…

Be aware, Volkswagen even mentions that it could also go hand in hand with a holographic control panel, through which the driver would activate some functions using their fingers, as if they were using augmented reality glasses.

The big question arises as to whether this solution really addresses any problem or if it is too complex for use while driving. This patent seems to present a solution that drastically changes with current technology.

But the truth is that, as we saw recently in this article, brands are reluctant to return to classic layouts with physical buttons. After all, installing these buttons requires greater manufacturing complexity, engineering, and consequently, higher costs.

Brands find it easier to add features that can be updated via software than to introduce hardware changes. Perhaps physical buttons will return over the years, but manufacturers will closely scrutinize the costs involved and, let’s not deny it, it is also a matter of trends.

Fuente: Carbuzz