Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh are developing a high-tech system to
convert drivers' hand gestures into something more useful than impromptu communications with fellow motorists.
The "gesture interface" system is one of a few advanced control systems being studied by
university scientists for the General Motors Collaboration Laboratory. The goal of the lab, a
five-year, $8 million joint project with the Detroit automaker, is to help develop new technologies
to make cars "smarter" and allow drivers to stay focused on the road.
A camera is attached to a standard laptop computer that contains special computer algorithms developed
by Carnegie Mellon computer engineers over the past three years. When a driver
passes his hand above the camera, the computer programs analyzes the images, looking for
specific hand features - the fingers, palm, the outline of a fist, and so on - and tracks its motion across
the camera's field of view. The program then translates that gesture into appropriate commands.
For now, the scientists have developed only a limited "vocabulary" of 15 gestures for their prototype
vehicle - most of them dealing with "non-safety-critical" car controls, such as the vehicle's radio.
Other researchers are working on voice-recognition systems and wireless communication systems that
seamlessly connect the car's electronics to other mobile devices.
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