Touch Tracer Display gives 2010 Prius speedometer a new look
By Darren Murph 
posted March 9th 2009 10:23AM
posted March 9th 2009 10:23AM
posted March 9th 2009 10:23AM
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Nice, but I'm still waiting for on-windscreen HUD.
Your wait has been over for a very long time.
1994 Pontiac Bonneville
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pontiachud.jpg
BMW E60
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:E60hud.JPG
From the Heads up Display wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-up_display
"Automotive applications
Head-up displays are becoming increasingly available in production cars, and usually offer speedometer, tachometer, and navigation system displays. BMW, Lexus, Citroën, GM, and Nissan currently offer some form of HUD system. Motorcycle helmet HUDs are also commercially available.[19]
Add-on HUD systems also exist, projecting the display onto a glass combiner mounted on the windshield. These systems have been marketed to police agencies for use with in-vehicle computers."
...in every affordable car.
@Chad:
If I'm not mistaken, this isn't just a HUD... but it integrates touch sensitivity to know what you're about to press.
I've been waiting for this day to come. I've been wanting to do this since I've been in college, but I've never made the time to try this. The combination of physical switches/knobs and a system that knows what you're about to touch so it can display the physical interface and relevant information is a fantastic idea, if you ask me.
I don't care if gas hits $20 a gallon.
I wouldn't be caught DEAD in a Prius.
But would you be caught alive in one?
Indeed... so you've updated your will to request this, then?
Bleh. We have 3 Prius in the car pool at the office, among 15 or so shared company vehicles. You can tell when nearly all of the cars are assigned to employees when you get assigned a Prius. Out of 300 employees at the corporate office, no one wants to drive them. Even the Volkswagen Passat wagon with a chattering transmission was more liked.
And I would hardly call the price of these things "affordable" or "budget", as you would expect for their size. They are just as over priced as the new Cooper Mini or VW bug.
And yes, I did appriciate the HUD in my 1993 Bonneville. Glad to see Toyota is coming around.
he just can't stop advertising his insecurity, can he?
Same here. Never in any Toyota! EVER!!!!!!
My preference for normal everyday cars would be Honda!
HONDA FTW!
To be honest, I'm still looking down to get a glance at my dashboard. So now basically I still have to look off the road for a bit, but now I have to put my hand up above my steering wheel to make the adjustments. Now to me, the untrained viewer who is making this completely bashing decision based only on a picture and no experiences whatsoever, this seems more dangerous. Not only is my eye off the road still, but not it's off for a bit longer because my hand has to move further. Plus, now my arm may now be located in the path of the airbag, which will be certain to go off as my eyes have not been on the road, thus creating some Mythbuster-esque results.
Why do you have to put your hand up above the steering wheel?
The display isn't a touch screen, it just shows you what your steering wheel controls are set to. So you know that under your left thumb, for example, is your Volume Down, or whatever. You never have to take your hands from the wheel... but also you don't have to LOOK at the steering wheel either.
As for personal preference, I like my displays to be above the wheel, not through it or behind it. I also ride a motorcycle, though, and so it's important having gauges and such that are within one's normal field of view. (Still waiting for a REAL in-helmet HUD, so far there have been external projectors and indicator LED's, but what we need is a translucent display within the visor... or in this case, projected on or displayed within the windshield of a car.)
Once the driver knows where the buttons are and what they do, visual feedback is 100% unnecessary, unless the 5-button pads on the steering wheel are multi-functional.
I've driven a MINI Cooper where the left buttons are for the radio and phone, and the right buttons are for the cruise control. Dead-easy, and you never have to look at them.
I've also driven a Mercedes that had a multi-functional display, and the buttons controlled everything from the radio to the trip computer and a seemingly endless array of useless and poorly-organized information that should only be accessible when the vehicle is not in motion. Trying to navigate through menus required the driver to divert a significant amount of attention OFF the road just to find the radio controls. And this is supposed to be SAFER?
The best controls become intuitive after only a couple of exposures. "Touch Tracer" seems like a weak solution for something that required a bit more thought and research.
This DOESN'T replace the normal buttons on the center console!
Everything that is done from the steering wheel can still be done from the center stack as well!
Also, I believe Engadget is misrepporting this! (yes, even the almighty Engadget can be wrong).
When you TOUCH the buttons it will highlight them on the dash screen. When you PRESS them, it does the function. You don't actually have to PRESS the button in order to see what you are doing, that would be stupid. I know if I answered the phone AFTER I've pressed a button.
I think it's a pretty nifty feature. Not really that greatest feature like Power Windows etc, but it's a good feature non the less.
Well, thank you.
If you require visual notification on something that is operated by hand and when you should not be looking at it then your interface design is clearly broken. The feel of the buttons should be enough to describe what they do, and if this isn't picked up immediatly then the design is broken or you shouldn't be driving in the first place.
If I read this correctly... The display only shows you which button on the steering wheel you pressed. It's not a touch screen or anything like that. What's the point? I know which button I pressed by the reaction I get. If I press a button and the music gets louder, I pressed VOL+. Seriously, this is stupid. The buttons are on the steering wheel not behind you, just look down a split second if you're so stupid that you haven't memorized the locations of the 4 buttons of your wheel. Jeez.
http://www.topgear.com/us/videos/more/thirsty-prius/
Everyone is missing the point....
Prius owners are too busy saving the planet from global warming to memorize what button does what. The rest of the population who are not spending every waking moment saving the planet has time to learn that button on the left makes the volume go down.
Duh.
"Add-on HUD systems also exist, projecting the display onto a glass combiner mounted on the windshield. These systems have been marketed to police agencies for use with in-vehicle computers."
shit, no wonder those damn coppers can quickly spot me driving 50 over going the other way.............
This looks very NICE.
God, this reminds me of a bad GM dashboard from the 1980's.
DO NOT WANT.
Just give me a clean, clear display with analog speedometer and tachometer so that I can spot what I am doing in an instant.
I am a Prius owner ('06) and I am a much better person than any of you. But that has less to do with my car and more to do with my 'fucking' skills.
Dicks like this guy are the leading contributors of SMUG. Much worse than SMOG, IMO.
Thanks SP.
"while keeping your head up and eyes on the road."
A lot of talk (not much thought though I'm afraid) has gone into this new placement and trend set of mounting the vehicles speedo, tach, and engine management systems in the middle of the upper console. You don't see this on serious/expensive vehicles for one reason. It's a gimmick.
Now on to the quote listed above... If the intention was so you could safely keep you eyes on the road while manipulating controls for the stereo or say, perhaps the HVAC controls, there should be no lights or bells or displays then. Period. Glancing over at the nifty display now to see that the button you pressed on the back of the wheel is actually doing it's job, caused you to take your eyes off the road for just the same amount of time as it would have if you were to physically reach down, glance, and turn the knob yourself.
Having these display on a traditional heads up display would have been the proper route to take. Although, Im sure someone at Toyota's R&D decided to dress up the failure that they call the center console on the Prius.
Weak tea Toyota... weak.
Can't people remember the function of buttons based on their positions? I don't need to see the volume button on my regular system, let alone on the wheel controls, to know where it's at and whether I'm increasing or decreasing the volume.
Actually, no, a lot of people can't. You're probably young so it may be easier for you to remember, but there's a lot of older people who have trouble remembering what controls do what without taking their eyes off the road. My parents are exactly like that, and this is an amazing innovation for many people like them.
You lost that bet. I knew about it since it's really old. Go and watch Cnet's hands-on; and they don't appear when the button is pushed. They actually light up the button your finger is actually TOUCHING, not pushing.