I like gesture based interfaces as much as the next man (or woman), in fact my brother can attest to my skills on British roads with gestures while driving – but the Mercedes Benz F125 concept car is heading down the wrong road if you ask me. Granted, there is much to like about this 25 year out concept, not least the energy efficiency with zero emissions propulsion thanks to a hydrogen-electric engine but the gesture based interface I’m less sure of. Why?
Well in a car, it would seem that using your voice is a much safer option that doesn’t require you to take your hands off the wheel (yes, the driving thankfully is still via a wheel). The F125 does include a speech interface so perhaps the gesture interface is more beneficial for passengers though even then, it would seem odd to be swiping and gesturing in a relatively small space when touch and voice are more appropriate.
All that said, hats off to Mercedes for showing us what the future may look like but my bet is gestures will find more appropriate uses than in car activities!
