Gerhard is responsible for all the ergonomics and haptics at Audi and is head of the Haptiksteam. Explaining the meaning of haptics (or haptiks in German), he told me: “It is the touch, feel and sound of a component. It is the characteristics and behaviour of each individual part”.
He is passionate about the research and development and his team are constantly aiming to improve on all aspects of the car but he spends much of his time devoted to switches, buttons and controls that are constantly being used by the driver and passengers.
He said: “The difference between a cheap calculator and an expensive computer - how they react when touched is what haptics is all about and we have to re-create this difference between good and bad in our cars. The touch may be good but the sound may be bad - we have to get both to be fantastic.”
Gerhard told me that they work to fine tolerances with a switch having to operate (the touching point) at between 4mm and 6mm with more travel after this point but whatever the driver is pressing, an electrical contact must be made within these measurements and must be at the right switching point. If it is above or below this then the feeling is not at its best. He said: “The cost of making a good switch or button is the same cost as making an inferior one with lifecycles being very similar but it is the time in development that costs the money and this is something Audi are prepared to invest in. The customer has to have a good feeling when driving an Audi, they need to feel special”.
Each electrical part is designed to accept a certain amount of fluid spillages such as water, tea and coffee. There are holes in the components to allow the fluid to pass through without causing any lasting damage. He said: ‘”We have not yet come up with a solution to safeguarding accidental spillages of sugary fizzy drinks such as Coca Cola. They really do cause damage to any circuit board, switch or button and are costly to replace”.
Each button is tested 100,000 times. A rotational button such as a radio or heater button is tested 500,000 times and the MMI control which operates satellite navigation, telephone and on-board computer systems are now tested 1 million times in their R&D facility.
I asked Gerhard what is currently the best haptically designed switch they produce and he said: “The one switch we consider to be the best and one we use as a benchmark is the hazard warning switch on the new Audi TT - its almost perfect”.
