[thedoc (OP)]

Eye-tracking systems will be available in cars from next year thanks to an EU initiative to back loans to Europe’s high-tech small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).


Read the article then tell us what you think...

[alancalverd]

It means increasing autonomy for modern cars that are allowing drivers to take their hands off the wheel for longer and longer.

The seeds of disaster. Is this part of an EU program to reduce the population, or to make money for lawyers?

The article is utterly nonspecific. What does the eyetracking software (nothing new here - it's been around almost as long as the EU) do? Will the steering follow my gaze, and thus kill every attractive woman I pass, or ignore it, in which case what use is it?

No, it seems that it will tell the car if the driver is tired. I've just switched off that system in my new car. It decided I was tired if I changed lanes frequently, and thus insisted that I stop and rest after negotiating the Magic Roundabout in Swindon. It also uses a "stick shaker" to wobble the steering wheel if I change lanes slowly: disconcertingly indistinguishable from a faulty tyre, and almost certainly increasing tyre wear, and it seems to switch on at random. Yesterday I received a recall notice because it seems that the automatic headlight dipping system (which dips the headlights if it detects oncoming traffic (almost useful) and brightly lit or reflective house numbers (bloody nuisance) is prone to do its own thing from time to time and can only be reset by stopping and restarting the engine - just what you need when travelling in the outside lane of the M25.

Whilst I'm on my sopabox, the sat nav, mobile phone handsfree, radio and aircon are all very useful, but instead of switches they are all controlled from a single touch screen that attracts fingerprints and is thus unreadable in sunlight.

One day, the world will come to its senses and put the driver back in charge, with proper knobs and buttons.     

[jeffreyH]

We are the Borg. You will be assimilated.

[chris]

Alan, you put these things so well!