TOUCH-FREE car controls respond to the flick of a wrist or the swipe of a hand – and it means no messy fingerprints on dashboards.
Given that drivers have enough to do keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, touch-free controls for some non-essential functions makes sense.
From a finger twirl to the right to raise the music volume and a hand swipe to decline an incoming call, the BMW 7 Series car recognises five simple gestures.
With the help of 3D technology, you can access different functions of your BMW vehicle without having to take your attention off of the road.
For example, you can accept or decline a phone call, change the volume of your favourite tunes or engage the navigation system.
As Dave, from Passport BMW, explained: “First we have to make sure gestures are on.
“So what we do is we go to the ‘My Vehicle’ menu to ‘iDrive settings’, then ‘Gestures’ and we make sure the ‘Gesture control’ box is checked.
“When that is checked, we are good to go.”
Here’s how it works:
Dave also described how to use pinch 360° view parking.
He said: “What we do once we have the screen up is we pinch our fingers and we go left or we go right.
“We can 360 around our BMW 7 Series. This will help you parallel park and make sure you don’t hit anything you don’t want to.”
Safety experts have cautiously welcomed dashboard simplification, but note gesture control and other such features may actually add to confusion.
“If a driver doesn’t know how to use it, will that increase the distraction?” asked Henry Jasny, vice president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety in Washington.
“There’s no proof that it will improve safety.”
Mark Boyadjis, an analyst at consulting firm IHS Automotive, noted systems are never foolproof.
He said he once triggered a blaring radio with an innocuous gesture.
Car makers and industry watchers are divided on whether touch-free controls will catch on or even be overtaken by self-driving cars.
The Sun has broken down some of the most useful car features and how some can even help drive down the cost of fuel or insurance.
Another special feature in many modern motors could come in handy for those looking to keep some things safe in a very stylish manners and goes unnoticed by thousands.
The “hidden Easter egg” is most commonly found inside the rear doors of a flash Range Rover Sport model.
It is perfect for storing small goods like money, keys and even things like sweet treats you want to keep all to yourself.
Meanwhile, drivers are just learning about a secret feature that could prove life-saving for the lucky motorists that have it.
The feature was posted on social media and dazzled viewers who claim the snazzy little feature is “absolutely brilliant”.
