Page 51 - EE Times Europe Magazine - June 2025

EE|Times EUROPE 51

OPINION | AUTONOMOUS DRIVING | IN-CABIN MONITORING SYSTEMS

Voice Technology: prioritizing safety over aesthetic minimalism.
However, the challenge for manufacturers
Answering Europe’s Call remains: How can safety be balanced with
the technological expectations of modern
consumers?
for Safer Automotive VOICE USER INTERFACE: A

COMPLEMENTARY SAFETY SOLUTION
Controls Voice interaction offers an ideal solution to
the safety challenges of complex in-vehicle
controls. When functioning optimally,
voice commands allow drivers to maintain
By Dani Cherkassky, Kardome visual focus on the road while controlling
increasingly complex vehicle systems.
A scientific study published in Nature
The automotive industry faces a turning point as European assessed driver distraction from in-vehicle
regulators push back against the touchscreen-centered dashboard information systems and found that voice
design that has defined vehicle interfaces for more than 15 years. user interface (voice UI) systems reduce
Beginning in January 2026, the European New Car Assessment off-road glance behavior compared with
Program (Euro NCAP) will require that to qualify for five-star safety visual-manual controls. Speech input reduces
ratings, every new car sold in the European Union will need to fea- the total glance duration and the number of
ture physical buttons or switches for critical functions such as turn glances a driver must make, improving driving
signals, hazard lights, the horn, windshield wipers, and eCall. performance.
This regulatory pivot responds to mounting evidence that Natural language presents the most
touchscreen-centric interfaces increase driver distraction and compromise safety. As intuitive and effective way to interact with
Matthew Avery, director of strategic development for Euro NCAP, recently said, “The overuse of future intelligent vehicles. However, the
touchscreens is an industry-wide problem, with almost every vehicle maker moving key controls long-held promise of effortlessly conversing
onto central touchscreens, obliging drivers to take their eyes off the road, and raising the risk of with your car like a friend has yet to be fully
distraction crashes.” realized. Two key obstacles stand in the way:
Alongside a partial return to tactile controls, voice technology is emerging as a compel- poor performance in noisy environments and
ling complementary solution that could address safety concerns and modern expectations the necessity for specific, often unnatural
for intuitive control systems. However, implementing effective voice recognition in automo- commands.
tive environments presents unique technical challenges that require innovative engineering The car cabin presents a particularly
approaches. demanding acoustic landscape for voice UI.
The confined space contains numerous reflec-
THE SAFETY CASE AGAINST TOUCHSCREENS tive surfaces, such as windows, that create
The automotive industry’s embrace of touchscreens was driven by several factors: reduced man- intricate reverberation patterns. Adding to
ufacturing costs, easier localization, aesthetic minimalism, and software flexibility. However, the this complexity is the user’s ongoing need
disadvantages have become increasingly apparent through safety research. to recall precise and awkward command
Whereas physical buttons can be operated via tactile feedback alone, touchscreens demand phrases, alongside various disruptive noises
visual engagement from drivers. Worse, many functions are buried in multiple menu layers, including driving and HVAC systems, speed
requiring several swipes or taps to access. This significantly increases the time drivers take their and surface-dependent road noise, competing
eyes off the road, raising the risk of accidents. Studies show that looking away from the road passenger speech, turbulent wind noise from
for just two seconds doubles the crash risk. A Swedish study by Vi Bilägare revealed that drivers open windows, and external interference such
needed up to 4.6× longer to perform basic tasks on touchscreens than with physical buttons, as horns and sirens.
which is a concerning safety implication for modern vehicle design. These challenges explain why early voice
Euro NCAP’s upcoming requirements represent an evidence-based correction to this trend, recognition systems in vehicles disappointed
users, with recognition rates significantly
lower than in controlled environments.

TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS ENABLING
IN-VEHICLE VOICE AI
Recent advances in several key technologies
are finally making reliable in-vehicle voice
control practical:

Advanced speech signal processing
IMAGE: KARDOME Contemporary spatial audio processing offers
a solution for noisy environments by isolating
and enhancing target speech. By deploying
multi-microphone arrays within the car cabin
and employing directional sound processing

www.eetimes.eu | JUNE 2025