Google and Ford aim to replace dashboard controls with range of hand gesture commands Commands will include opening sunroofs and turning on air conditioning The technology will do away with dashboard dials, buttons and levers Google says it will stop drivers becoming distracted at the wheel Both companies are attempting to patent the state of the art technology They already have a car that drives itself in the pipeline. And now developers at Google are hoping to make life on the road even easier - with drivers able to open the windows or turn on the air con with a wave of a hand. The internet giant is working on a new system that will effectively do away with complicated buttons and dials on a car's dashboard. New technology: First the driver-less car (pictured), and now Google is developing a system of hand gestures to turn on car lights and wind down windows in a bid to replace many of the buttons found on car dashboards Give us a wave: An image submitted as part of the Google patent showing the typical sort of gesture that might be performed by motorists using the new technology Instead a range of the vehicle's functions will be controlled by simple hand gestures detected by in-car cameras. Both Google and car manufacturer Ford has separately applied to patent the technology that will allow motorists and passengers to lower and raise the window with a swipe gesture, turn on windscreen wipers and indicators with a flick of the fingers or open the sunroof just by pointing at it. The idea is drawing comparisons with the control system in the 2054-model Toyota Lexus driven by Tom Cruise's character in the 2002 futuristic film Minority Report. According to the Daily Telegraph, Google's patent claims that the technology will be more useful in cars where the driver still has to drive, rather than alongside its self-drive system. They say that it will stop drivers becoming distracted by gizmos and gadgets in the car while at the wheel. Thing of the past? The new technology could do away with the sometimes complicated dashboard controls found in most cars (file picture) According to the Telegraph, their patent said: 'While a user is manoeuvring a vehicle, the user may wish to perform a number of additional functions, such as navigating to a destination, changing the temperature in the vehicle, or changing the volume of music playing in the vehicle. The user may perform a gesture in a region of the vehicle. Example regions include a steering wheel, an air-conditioning vent, and an ear of the user. The predetermined gestures may include, for example, any gesture that an occupant of the vehicle may make with his or her hands, fingers, arms, legs and head. Gestures will be recognised by a 3D camera in the car and can be confirmed using a voice function. As well as basic dashboard settings, the system could also be used to change cruise control speed or to alter the position of one of the car's seats. Ford's proposed technology would use a similar camera operated recognition system. The car manufacturer's patent application says that drivers can confirm commands by a simple thumbs up or thumbs down gesture. Last year Mercedes showcased a gesture control system at the Consumer Electronics Show. Google has been testing its self-driving cars on roads around Nevada and California since 2010 and claims that they are safer than cars driven by professional drivers. The firm is said to be considering how to market the car. New age: The concept has already drawn comparisons with the futuristic Toyota Lexus model driven by Tom Cruise's character in the 2002 film Minority Report Life imitates art: Cruise pictured in action in Minority Report. Some of the controls of his car in the film could be activated using gesture recognition technology