From G.M., a Window Onto the Future Though some motorists may still marvel at the idea of headrest-mounted LCD screens and in-dash DVD players to keep the little tykes entertained in the family car, General Motors is already looking to bring next-generation telematics technology to the back seat. A new suite of interactive games and apps, which G.M. calls Windows of Opportunity, are projected on rear-seat window glass, providing entertainment and perhaps even a bit of education. Lest one worry that the automaker's engineering corps has been sidetracked from increasing fleet efficiency and build quality, G.M. delegated this project to the researchers and students of the Future Lab at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. Charged with engineering new ways to enrich the experience of rear-seat passengers on the road, the Bezalel team created a number of applications that could be displayed on window glass, using motion and optical sensor technology developed by EyeClick, a manufacturer of interactive surfaces. Among the apps is an animated character named Otto, who is projected over the passing scenery and responds to the outside world. Foofu, another app, enables finger painting on simulated frosted glass, a pastime that many readers may remember doing, to the dismay of parents, without the benefit of electronics. An application called Pond can download music, share it with other cars and communicate with passengers in those cars. G.M. did not say whether precautions would be taken to prevent applications from impeding rear visibility for the driver. None of the lab's developments will be appearing in a production vehicle soon, but Omer Tsimhoni, a lab group manager at G.M."s Advanced Technical Center in Herzliya, Israel, about 50 miles northwest of Jerusalem, said in a media release that the system was one of many technologies under development "that could reinvent the passenger experience in years to come." Though the back seat is G.M."s chosen domain, many automakers are toying with interactive glass displays in other parts of the vehicle. Audi showed a heads-up-display concept at the Consumer Electronics Show last week that projected information displays onto the windshield and responded to finger drags and other inputs from a front-seat passenger. Like G.M., Audi has no immediate plans to commercialize the technology. Toyota, meanwhile, has put the entertainment outside the car with its Fun-Vii concept, introduced at the Tokyo auto show late last year that displayed electronic symbols and images on the exterior skin. The car also featured an interior that reflected mood through color, light and pattern.