Mercedes-Benz DICE concept brings gesture controls to the cockpit [w/video] Car News and Review

Not to be outdone by its competitors from Ingolstadt, Mercedes-Benz brought out its own vision of the future of interiors, finish with augmented reality, a fully customizable dashboard and gesture-based controls. There’s not a knob or push button to be found…

The video after the jump demonstrates the Dynamic & Intuitive Control Experience (DICE) far better than words can convey, but the basic elements are these: a series of proximity sensors detect hand motions across the interior, allowing you to scroll, select and control a variety of functions. The highlights include the power to get information around the businesses and sights around you, link with friends nearby and control entirely the standard music and navigation functionality you’d expect in a high-end ride. But it’s not without its issues.

The major problem is there’s no way for the system to detect if you’re motioning or just have your hand out, and making matters worse is the poor definition of exactly where your hands and arms should be to take control of specific elements. But Mercedes has time to work out the kinks – one exec admitted that a production version is at least 20 years out.