Hitachi shows off finger-controlled steering wheel

Rest assured, there are plenty of steering wheels on the road right now that happily accept finger commands, but Hitachi’s latest invention takes things one step further. The so-called finger vein authentication system can apparently be customized for a certain driver so that simple presses can adjust one’s seat, load up a given playlist, tweak the equalizer, crank the AC or start up the engine. Moreover, such a system provides an additional layer of security against theft or unwanted drive-offs (think mischievous children). Hitachi is still unsure if / when this will actually hit vehicles on showroom floors, but a ballpark figure of “three to four years” was thrown out there for good measure.