Human Machine Interface
Automotive infotainment: why multi-modal HMI is essential
Charlie Alexander, automotive market lead at haptics company Ultrahaptics, explains the importance of multi- modal HMI in infotainment systems
Charlie Alexander “T
he HMI of a connected vehicle head unit or digital cockpit may look no different than a
consumer electronic device,” state Harman, a leader in connected car technology. “Nevertheless, how the interface is connected to the vehicle, consumer and the OEM ecosystem is far more complex.”
Harman is right. But why exactly is automotive HMI so complex? And what does this mean for component suppliers to the automotive industry and user experience (or UX) designers?
The evolution of the connected car Today’s infotainment systems are doing more than ever before. They are digitised and connected, linking with our mobile devices and reaching outside for cloud- based services such as music streaming and real-time traffic information. Infotainment systems are becoming
larger, more complex, and converging with
the wider electronics world. Hardware and software are becoming more diverse and drawn from a wider pool of suppliers, many of whom are not traditional automotive specialists. Mercedes-Benz’s new advanced infotainment system MBUX (standing for Mercedes-Benz User Experience), for example, runs on Nvidia architecture and is equivalent to a high-end computer or even gaming hardware. Among other things it includes multiple touchscreens, a high- brightness HUD, AI that learns driver habits and preferences, haptic feedback and voice control. However, while drivers have increasingly high expectations of connectivity and the quality of user experience, they also demand safety. Organisations such as the AAA (American Automobile Association) are already raising concerns about the visual and mental distraction connected cars can create. We may be on the road to fully autonomous vehicles, but we are not there yet, and today’s cars still rely on a human driver. While infotainment systems may not appear on the surface to be as safety critical as driving controls, the reality is their design can have a significant impact. In the worst cases, poorly designed UX can be fatal. Driver distraction is estimated to contribute to over 3,400 deaths every year in the US alone.
The unique challenges of designing automotive HMI “The key thing about automotive infotainment systems,” says Gareth Young, a UX designer and one of my colleagues at Ultrahaptics, “is that the driver doesn’t have anywhere near 100 per cent attention on what they’re doing. You think mobile apps need to be simple, efficient and intuitive, but automotive systems are on a whole other level.”
“When driving, the user may also be using their less dominant hand to operate the infotainment system,” he continues. “For example, if you’re in a right-hand drive vehicle you’re going to be using your left hand to operate controls in the central console.”
Contextual and flexible design is also vital. Using an infotainment system while on the road is different to using it when parked. Even something as simple as the number of passengers can make a difference. For example, using voice control when alone in a vehicle is more ideal than using it while having a conversation with a passenger.
The role of multi-modal HMI in automotive The development of increasingly multi- modal HMI – i.e. HMI that utilises multiple sensory channels – is key to reconciling the contradictory trends of greater connectivity and better safety and creating the next generation of automotive infotainment. In the real world, information from all our senses combines to allow us to interact intuitively and effortlessly with the world around us. It’s increasingly widely accepted that the more closely HMI mirrors real-world interaction, the more intuitive it is likely to be.
Multi-modal design is also particularly important for automotive because driving a car is primarily a visual task. “One of the most important safety measures in vehicle HMI is ‘eyes off the road time’ or ‘glance time’,” explains Dr Orestis Georgiou, director of Research at Ultrahaptics. “This is how much time you have to look away from the road to, for example, change a music track. Using sensory channels other than sight is an obvious way to try to reduce this.”
Haptics and multi-modal HMI As well as visual displays, multi-modal infotainment systems incorporate voice control, facial and gesture recognition driven by 3D sensing technologies, eye- tracking, audio cues, contact haptics (on touchscreens, trackpads and in seats and
steering wheels) and mid-air haptics (above the centre console). No one of these is the answer: instead, different technologies are fused to create safe, seamless and intuitive user experiences that adapt to different contexts and user preferences. Different sensory channels have different
strengths and limitations, and smart automotive HMI is built around a deep understanding of these. At Ultrahaptics, for example, we specialise in mid-air haptics (the creation of tactile sensations in mid-air using ultrasound), so we know a great deal about the strengths, but also the limitations, of haptic feedback. For example, a recent study showed that interfaces combining gesture control with mid-air haptic feedback can reduce or even eliminate “eyes off the road time”, for example, and that this type of interface can also result in lower error rates than a touchscreen. Mid-air haptics also allows the creation of flexible controls that come to the driver’s hand, removing the need to locate a control precisely.
Haptic feedback also has a number of
other strengths. It has been shown to increase people’s sense of control and connection, making interfaces more intuitive to use. Information can be communicated to the driver alone, without disturbing passengers. Finally, drivers find haptic warnings hard to miss and react quickly to them. However, haptic feedback also has limitations. It’s hard to convey detailed information through touch alone, for example (unless you are familiar with a specialist language such as Braille). For a task such as setting a destination, audio-visual technology is likely to be a better choice. Sometimes one technology is optimal, sometimes drivers need a choice depending on their context and personal preferences, and sometimes it may be best to fuse technologies. Communicating through multiple sensory channels simultaneously, for example, reduces the risk of a critical alert being missed.
The automotive interface of the future “Trailblazing design and breath-taking performance undoubtedly arouse longing and pure emotion,” write BMW. “However, the actual connection between driver and high-performance car is provided by the user interface.” As consumers increasingly demand both connectivity and safety, exactly what those interfaces look, sound and feel like is going to prove to be a more and more important product differentiator. Innovative multi-modal technologies, many sourced from non-traditional automotive suppliers, are set to play a key role in the future of automotive.
www.ultrahaptics.com 18 November 2018 Components in Electronics
www.cieonline.co.uk
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