Automotive parts supplier Visteon showed off a number of dashboard concepts at CES 2009, using materials developed with 3M. Touch-sensitive panels with haptic response is a major area of research for Visteon, doing away with traditional buttons and knobs.
Visteon 3D nav display
Visteon demonstrated a mild 3D instrument cluster navigation display. This system uses special plastics to make the route guidance arrow appear to float above the road.
Visteon had a number of touch panels designed for the car on display. The buttons are marked by backlighting, and a haptic system lets you feel a click when you touch a button area. This system also uses a proximity sensor to keep the panel blank until you put your hand near it.
Another in-car innovation Visteon showed off is this swiveling console cover. The company embedded an iPod and USB port in it the bottom side of the cover, showing how previously unused space can be made practical.
This image shows how a driver alert system works. A camera in the instrument cluster monitors the driver's face, tracking the eyes and whether the face is looking forward. Car makers can use this camera and processing to determine if the driver is getting distracted or sleepy, and sound a warning.