Uptake of Advanced HMI Technologies across Europe

Edited by the Manufacturingtalk editorial team Nov 28, 2006

Rising Demand for Comfort and Safety Encourages Uptake of Advanced HMI Technologies across Europe

Despite its relative maturity, new solutions and the surging demand for comfort and safety promise to create significant growth opportunity in the European human machine interface (HMI) market.

"The rising demand for comfort and convenience together with increasing safety concerns are encouraging the uptake of advanced HMI technologies," notes Frost and Sullivan Programme Manager Anil Valsan in a recent study on HMI for Vehicle Applications - Technology Roadmaps, OEM Strategies, Opportunities and Implications.

"As a result, novel HMI technologies are being developed or introduced into the market are targeting improved comfort as well as safety".

Advanced HMI technologies such as voice recognition, steering wheel mounted switches, head-up display and multi-functional switches provide easy accessibility to various in-vehicle systems.

This significantly reduces driver distraction while boosting driving safety.

However, the high cost of advanced HMI technologies restricts their use to only premium segment vehicles.

"Advances in HMI solutions such as localisation of HMI intelligence require a high level of system integration along with the installation of advanced technologies including displays, touch screens and multi-functional switches," explains Frost and Sullivan Research Analyst Vinay Joshi.

"This technology is quite expensive and implies a considerable amount of development cost".

Therefore, it is essential for stand-alone system manufacturers to provide either an integrated solution or partner with other suppliers to offer an integrated system.

Multi-system providers are poised to reap maximum benefit as they already possess the necessary expertise in various stand-alone interfaces and system integration presents an easier task for them.

HMI for Vehicle Applications - Technology Roadmaps, OEM Strategies, Opportunities and Implications is part of the Automotive and Transportation Subscription, which also includes research in the following markets: Strategic Analysis of the European OE Market for Car Audio Systems and European Original Equipment Market for Telematics and Infotainment.