The cybernetic DWIM car is coming. DWIM stands for "Do What I Mean."* It is a commonplace term in the field of Human-machine Interfaces, and refers to systems that automatically interpret the user's intent from his or her inputs.

Cybernetics (or at least one aspect of it) is the science of unifying humans and machines. The objective of cybernetics is usually to amplify human capability with "intelligent" machines, but sometimes the objective is the reverse. Most of the work in cybernetics has been under the aegis of defence, for building advanced tanks and aircraft. There is a modest amount of cybernetics in the automotive industry, as well. Anti-lock Braking (ABS), Acceleration Slip Reduction (ASR), Electronic Engine Management, and Automatic Traction Control (ATC) are cybernetic DWIM systems---of a kind---already in production. They all make "corrections" on the driver's input based on an assumed intention. Steer-by-wire, Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVT), and active suspensions are on the immediate horizon. All these features are part of a distinct trend to automate the driving experience. This month, we take a break from hard physics to look at the better and the worse of increased automation, and we look at one concept of the ultimate result, CyberCar.

Among the research directions in cybernetics are advanced sensors for human inputs. One of the more incredible is a system that reads brain waves and figures out what a fighter pilot wants to do directly from patterns in the waves.

A major challenge in the fighter cockpit is information overload. Pilots have far too many instruments, displays, horns, buzzers, radio channels, and idiot lights competing for their attention. In stressful situations, such as high speed dogfights, the pilot's brain simply ignores inputs beyond its capacity, so the pilot may not hear a critical buzzer or see a critical warning light. In the "intelligent cockpit," however, the pilot consciously suppresses certain displays and auditory channels, thus reducing sensory clutter. By the same token, the intelligent cockpit must be able to override the pilot's choices and to put up critical displays and to sound alarms in emergencies. In the reduced clutter of the cockpit, then, it is much less likely that a pilot will miss critical information.

How does the pilot select the displays that he** wants to see? The pilot cannot afford the time to scroll through menus like those on a personal computer screen or hunt-and-peck on a button panel like that on an automatic bank teller machine.