GM Partners with design students to create a touchscreen car window

Published by Kelly Levinsohn on Jan 27th, 2012, No Comments

General Motors and the FUTURE LAB at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel have collaborated to create the Windows of Opportunity Project (WOO). General Motors challenged the students at the design academy to develop a technology that conceptualizes new ways for vehicle passengers, especially children, to have a richer and more interactive experience while on the road.

According to World Car Fans, the WOO project was “inspired by psychological studies indicating that car passengers often feel disconnected from their environment. GM asked the Bezalel students to turn car windows into interactive displays capable of stimulating awareness, nurturing curiosity and encouraging a stronger connection with the world outside the vehicle.”

One concept involves children interacting and playing with the window by drawing on it as one would with cold temperatures outside the vehicle. Another app involves a little creature that travels with passengers as they’re on the move while interacting with the vehicle’s speed and changing landscape. The enabling technology for the apps is the same technology used for augmented reality.

Thomas Seder, GM R&D lab group manager for human-machine interface explains that, “Unlike my generation where I explored the world with my dad’s tools, the kids today are exploring the world with a digital toolbox. So we’re trying to create applications that they can use to really understand in an intuitive way how the world works.”

They’re also looking at social networking through the utilisation of an interactive display that allows passengers to share music and content on the window display like a virtual bumper sticker.

Some cons to consider include having to manoeuvre your body to face the window in order to use the technology which may be uncomfortable after a long period of time and experiencing car sickness.

Watch the GM advanced tech window concept in the video below:

Source: The Next Web

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