Yokohama, Japan - Nissan has hinted that it won’t be offering tablet-like vertical displays in its future cars, and it’s largely to do with the way that human eye moves.
“It's a trend that's been hard to miss lately: Many new cars have bulky, tablet-like screens smack in the middle of the dashboard,” Nissan commented.
“While these super-sized displays may grab attention at motor shows, carmakers working to create next-generation vehicles also have other things to consider as they attempt to balance design, technology and utility.”
The Japanese carmaker cited its Ariya Concept as an example of its current thinking on in-car functionality. To that end, the crossover concept is fitted with a curved, wave-inspired dual-screen display. Nissan said the design reflects its new "Timeless Japanese Futurism" design language, which adds the sense of a “horizon” throughout the car.
Nissan’s chief HMI design engineer Tomomichi Uekuri explained that the company opted for this design because the human eye naturally looks from side to side when driving.
"People can see and absorb more information if it's laid out horizontally,” Uekuri explained. “Peripheral vision works this way as well."
Although the system consists of two primary displays, one for instrumentation and the other for entertainment, information can be swiped between them to create the sensation of a single display. The driver, for instance, can choose whether the satnav map appears in front of the steering wheel or in the central display.
"The display's wave construction is innovative and utilises an ergonomic layout for both the meter display and the center display, not only for visibility, but also allows the driver to easily reach the center display touch screen," Uekuri added.