Google applies for patent on gesture-based car controls

So far, in-car gestures aren't useful for much more than raging at the driver that just cut you off. Google wants these gestures to be more productive, however, and has applied for a patent that uses hand motion to control the car itself. Its proposed system relies on both a ceiling-mounted depth camera and a laser scanner to trigger actions based on an occupant's hand positions and movements. Swipe near the window and you'll roll it down; point to the radio and you'll turn the volume up. While there's no guarantee that we'll see the technology in a car, the USPTO is publishing the patent filing just a day after Google has acquired a motion control company. If nothing else, the concept of a Google-powered, gesture-controlled car isn't as far fetched as it used to be.