Gesture control coming to BMW motorcycles

BMW Motorrad patents gesture control system for motorcycles

Have you seen the movie Minority Report which starred Tom Cruise? Or how about this LED TV commercial by Samsung a few years ago? What these 2 have in common is that the consumers control their equipment or video screens by only using hand gestures. Soon, BMW's motorcycles may have the same features too.

In a recent patent filed by the German motorcycle maker, two motion sensors fitted on the bike will be used to detect the rider’s gestures. These gestures, in turn, will control the motorcycle’s features and settings, such as toggling through ride modes, cruise control, scrolling through music while riding, or even answering a call.

The idea is, the system will detect certain gestures from the rider to minimize fiddling with the instrument panel while riding.

BMW has already integrated gesture controls on some of its current models sold locally like the 5-7 series, and even its SUVs like the X3 - X7.

In those models, gestures like spinning your index finger clockwise turns up the volume; swiping your hand left or right goes through menus or selects options; swiping your hand up or down scrolls through menu options.

It's nothing new for BMW, but it's fairly new technology for motorcycles. After all, those few models with touchscreens don't always respond to fingers with gloves on.

While it certainly sounds convenient, gesture controls may not be as safe for motorcycles because it still requires you to lift one hand from the handlebar. Perhaps this gesture control feature may just be an optional accessory to future BMW motorcycles and may not completely replace the good ol’ fashioned handlebar controls.

Do you think this is a safe addition to motorcycles?