Evaluation of laser pointer as a pointing device in automotive

In automotive domain, the need for an intelligent inclusive interaction is demanding due to the increasing complexity of the user interaction with the secondary task systems like infotainment, lights, adjusting windows and side mirrors and so on. Even though there are lot of modalities like voice and gesture recognition systems coming up to facilitate undertaking secondary tasks, reducing cognitive load of drivers is challenging. This paper proposes a new interaction device using a Laser pointer which does not require drivers to physically touch a display. We compared its performance with a touchscreen in automotive environment and the pointing and selection time for a secondary task. Our result found that the laser pointer did not significantly degrade driving or pointing performance compared to touchscreen in standard ISO 26022 lane changing task.