Touch and go - Design - BMW's iDrive system

Automotive Design & Production, June, 2002 by Kermit Whitfield

iDrive also addresses the challenge of upgrading functionality as technology changes. One of the things that stymies automotive electronics engineers tasked with incorporating the latest gadgets into cars is the comparatively long life cycle of the automobile. Cell phones and personal digital assistants follow 12 to 18 month cycles, while cars often last 10 years or more. Upgraded iDrive software can be downloaded at the dealership in the form of enhancements to existing functions or the addition of new ones, each of which has its own tactile sensations.

LOWERING COST ANO COMPLEXITY

Since Immersion's background was in consumer electronics, it brought a low-cost mindset to the iDrive project. Vassallo says, "The whole thinking process started with how to make a very inexpensive but robust system. It had to feel good, but use low-cost components. So, from the get-go, we were using $2.50 motors." The most expensive part of the whole assembly is a Motorola microprocessor.

Even though a tactile feedback system can eliminate dedicated switches and the cost and complexity that go with them, in order to make the most of the system it needs to be hooked up to an expensive display screen. However, as screens move from upscale vehicles to more modest rides, screen prices should drop, which will make this interface even more attractive.

FUTURE APPLICATIONS

Vassallo thinks tactile feedback technology use in vehicles will expand over the next few years, and adapt to fill different roles. Immersion worked with Nissan to develop a scroll wheel mounted on the steering wheel of its 2003i concept car so that the driver can keep both hands on the wheel while adjusting functions, and is supporting Nissan's Japanese market Primera program.

Additionally, Siemens VDO recently showed a cockpit concept with a tactile feedback rotary knob, and similar controllers have been featured in concepts like Audi's Avantissimo and Johnson Controls' Etimos.

As for BMW, the initial criticisms of iDrive have not deterred the company. According to Thomas Jefferson, 7-Series product manager, "BMW is committed to the iDrive concept. And you can expect to see appropriate applications of it in our future products." He continues, "Right now, since no one else is doing it, it seems like BMW is out on a limb, but I guarantee that within the next two model years we'll be seeing it from other manufacturers."