Gesture-driven technology

Toyota is developing a technology that allows drivers to manipulate car entertainment functions, such as adjusting the radio volume, using a simple handgrip.

Toyota Motor America President Jim Lentz says the company is working on new hand-motion technology, with great potential in cars to limit the distraction of the driver behind the wheel.

The Smart Insect system judges the driver's movement and automatically opens the rear door - (Photo: Toyota)

"We think the driver should look straight ahead," Lentz told The Wall Street Journal at the Los Angeles auto show.

And the use of gestures to drive the car is the perfect way to keep the driver focused on the road ahead, according to a partnership between Toyota and Microsoft.

In addition to manual movements, Toyota says it is working on a prototype system called Smart Insect , with touch sensors that can detect the face and body of the driver, thereby Try to predict behavior by analyzing their motions.

The system also uses speech recognition technology to command open or close, as well as perform other functions.