SmartWheelTag: Flexible and Battery-less User Interface for Drivers

Abstract

Vehicles are providing increasing number of functions for drivers than they were designed, including streaming music from the Internet, answering calls, showing the latest news from drivers’ social networks, advising drivers the route and road condition, and etc. Traditionally, drivers use buttons and switches on control panel or a touch screen to access all the functions. However, a flat design may turn a car into a button-fest which may confuse even daily drivers. On the other hand, hierarchical UI requires drivers to click buttons or screens several times to navigate the menus is time intensive and may take drivers’ eyes from the road. To address these problems, we propose SmartWheelTag. SmartWheelTag is a RFID tag on a slap bracelet so drivers can easily attach and disattach it onto a steering wheel. When drivers touch the different part of the SmartWheelTag, different phases are detected. We further develop an Android APP so drivers can pre-define gestures to map their actions on SmartWheelTag to vehicle functions. Since SmartWheelTag can be installed at the most comfortable place and provide customized functions, drivers can easily access the desired vehicle functions quickly while concentrating on the roads.