The touch

They say it’s the little things that make the biggest difference in life. A subtle of design, the sound of a highly-tuned engine or the way some thing ‘feels’.

Having everything within reach and intuitive to use has long been a hallmark of Audi’s internal technology. Back in 2002, the A8 broke new ground with the MMI system and its rotary/push controller. This seemingly simple system was praised around the world for its intuitive design – not only giving the driver control of an array fo functions with its rotary/push controller, but doing so without the need for extensive tuition into the system’s use. Motoring writers around the globe marvelled at how Audi had managed to make what was a complicated system in competitor’s vehicles, almost second nature in the A8.

Its successor in 2010 was the MMI touch, and now the new Audi A8 spearheads a new breed with all-new technology – with MMI touch response technology.

A conventional touchscreen is surely not a bad solution in a car, but far from ideal. If the driver wants to execute the desired function reliably, he has to take his eyes off the traffic for a few seconds. 

“This is particularly difficult on rough roads,” says Ulrich Müller from Development Control Concepts (pictured). “When the car is twitchy, so is the driver’s hand.”

Audi’s MMI touch response technology opens a whole new chapter by making the touchscreen fully car-capable. The two central displays in the new A8 work with haptic and visual feedback. A function is not triggered as soon as a finger lightly touches the glass – that doesn’t happen until it presses lightly with a defined force. The threshold for this is 2.4 newtons. The fingertip senses a precise impulse by way of confirmation, while a tiny speaker emits a clicking sound.

“The display is mounted on springs,” explains Müller. “The haptic response is generated when it is pulled slightly to one side by a powerful electromagnet actuating a tiny lifter. It lasts for just a few milliseconds, with travel of no more than 80 micrometers – which is about the width of a human hair.” 

Testing carried out on volunteers during the development process showed that visual distraction drops significantly when using touch response technology – and that customers have different expectations when it comes to the intensity of the feedback. For that reason, the display’s movement can be adjusted on three levels or switched off altogether.

Carefully arranged details provide even greater certainty – and visual appeal – when using the technology. When the finger touches an icon, its surface changes colour slightly. If pressure is maintained, the colour change becomes more intense. 

Like a smartphone, many icons have long-touch and long-push functions. If the driver wants to reposition a tile on the main menu, for instance, they have only to press it for eight tenths of a second. This is followed by a slight vibration, meaning the tile has been freed to move.

In the new Audi A8 or A7 Sportback for example, touch response technology extends beyond the displays, carrying through onto the black row of switches on the centre console, the light-switch module and the air conditioning. 

Ulrich Müller: “The outer ventilation nozzles have small touchpads that the customer can use to vary the intensity of the airflow. He hears a click after each step here, too.” Small ‘touches’ perhaps, but it is this unerring attention to detail that once again sets Audi apart.