Imagine being able to control everything from your steering wheel. Navigation systems, music player, mobile phones or even text messages.

Well, that is the idea behind the development of the touch-screen steering wheel by a team of German researchers. A prototype designed by experts from the University of Stuttgart, University of Duisburg-Essen and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence which aims to keep the driver only focused on the road.

It is true that there are already wheel-mounted controls, but the complicated characteristics of many modern cars and the variety of gadgets and accessories means drivers have to often look away from the road to concentrate on in-dash screens. Precisely that is what the touch-screen steering wheel wants to prevent by reducing the driver's visual demand.

The technology that supports the device is based on infra-red  LEDs. An infra-red camera attached to the bottom of the wheel detects reflections when the screen is touched, translating movement into orders. Those gestures can be made on the screen without the driver ever having to take his hands off the steering wheel.

In order to create a set of commands, researchers monitored participants using gestures they currently use on traditional technological devices. Gestures such as pinching two fingers for zooming or tracing out the first letter of a command are some that have been included.

Once they established all the different commands they had the participants testing the touch-screen prototype in a simulator, showing that the amount of time a driver had to take his eyes off the road was substantially reduced.

The touch-screen steering wheel does not interfere with the current safety devices either. In most cars the central surface of a steering wheel is destined to store the airbag. The touch-screen would be covering the airbag but it will either break or it will be constructed of segments that allow the airbag to open.

The researchers believe the technology could also include things such as the ability to project information directly onto the windshield as well as a sensor system designed to check road conditions and traffic and alert a driver to stay focused on the road.