Harman Shape
Shifting Controller
Cutting-edge technology to reduce distracted driving.
Modern vehicles often have a large center console screen with numerous buttons and knobs. However, having all these controls readily available can be distracting for drivers, ultimately leading to a lack of focus on the road. According to the National Safety Council, distracted driving is responsible for around 16,000 crashes annually. The Harman advanced technologies team reached out to Nova to help bring their ideas to life. The Harman team had created bench top prototypes of their haptic and shape-shifting technologies and needed our help to create ergonomic and stylistically appropriate designs for high-end automotive environments.
The Challenge
The Harman Shape Shifting Controller radically re-imagines how you interact with your car, as well as how the vehicle interacts with you. The dial is a unique shape-shifting design that helps minimize distractions while driving. The product can shift to a different orientation based on the in-vehicle technology they would like to control. Each mode would have a dial unique placement, allowing drivers to keep their attention on the road while still controlling their vehicle's features. One example is when searching for contacts in a long scrolling list would cause the knob to unfold and change diameter the further down they are in the list. Additionally, the Harman dial can be used alone or in conjunction with the dash camera and haptic steering wheel as a system.
Our Solution
We created a demonstration model that mimics the functionality and feel of the finished product and showcased it at CES by installing it in a BMW X5. Our team flew to Las Vegas to set up the demo device for the conference.
The Impact
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