As Kristina pointed out, BMW's design is both innovative and cool; And what happens when a new product is both of those things? The price is through the roof. I could see car makers using this technology as an excuse to inflate the prices of their products, even in cars that don't look as cool as the concept car presented in Geneva.
As much as I would love to drive around in a "Tron car," I can tell you right now that I won't be able to afford it until the technology is old news.
Stroking the seat or dashboard to change the radio station or turn on the wipers might seem like a really cool trick in theory, but put in practice I could see a lot of problems with it. First, because it eliminates the need for buttons, drivers would have to learn all new controls. If you've ever driven a strange car and been confused for a moment when your hand changed the temperature instead of the volume because the controls were different from what you were used to, just imagine how confusing and distracting it would be to have to fiddle with every upholstered surface of the car to find the control you're looking for. And, of course, there won't be any labels to tell you where to touch. That would look weird. Secondly, Kristina pointed out that the smart fabric technology can be just as durable the fabric it is woven into. However, I've never seen anything woven into leather; and even if BMW did manage to weave these plastic wires into the leather seat, can we call it the same quality as traditional leather seats? People who buy luxury cars with leather seats aren't going to be pleased to know that there are bits of plastic under them.
Lastly, I would like to address other uses for this smart fabric. We read an article about how the fabric could be woven into that of a couch or chair and programmed to work like a remote. Well how lazy is our society getting that not only can we not be bothered to use the the buttons on the TV, but now we're too lazy to even look for the remote.
I agree with your side of the argument. I am not convinced of the practicality of the Smart Fabric in vehicles. I think that this smart fabric will have a very high learning curve. You would have to learn all of the different ways to control your stereo and temperature, instead of just pressing the button. I think that it will be too much of a distraction while you are driving. Although I don't think that this would be very practical in cars, I do think that this is a very revolutionary technology, and I hope to see it implemented into other places.
ReplyDeleteI think that the technology has much better uses in areas other than the automotive industry. The most interesting application, for me, would be our own clothing. What if we could use a t-shirt instead of a laptop keyboard? Or what if you could answer your iPhone's calls by pressing a button on your glove? Or maybe change the song on your mp3 player while running? It's not that the technology won't have a place, but my biggest concerns are with the durability of smart fabric. Soft circuits (electronics imbedded in fabrics) already exist. See here -> http://www.instructables.com/id/Beginning-Soft-Circuits/
ReplyDeleteThe issue with electric clothing all has to do with the one thing I'm actually waiting on now, the laundry machine. At some point, you're going to have to wash your sweaty clothes, and electronic equipment doesn't tend to agree with water very well at all. If a smart fabric that is comfortable and durable can be manufactured, then this technology will be able to take off, in my opinion.
But what would really happen if it did? How would smart fabric impact our society at large if it was installed in many of our everyday textile-infused items? Well, it doesn't seem to offer much that a touch-screen doesn't already. In fact, smart fabric can only function as an input device (as opposed to a touch-screen, which is both an input and output device.) This means we won't necessarily be engaged with the interactiveness of our couches. The interface is merely a way to the content our books have been discussing, and not necessarily part of the mind-infusing content we interact with, so I don't foresee any major consequences to the technology. And, let's just face it, trying to dig up the remote is a pain in the you-know-where, and I don't seem to gain anything by constantly looking for it.