In the future, we’ll all look like schmucks talking into our cars’ dashboards. Still, it’s better than taking our eyes off the road to fumble around with, say, BMW’s iDrive controller. In fact, researchers at Germany’s Saarland University chose a BMW for their TALK project, a prototype for future voice-activated automotive systems. It can be used for local controls, like the CD player, or with navigation and telematics systems (“find me a dry cleaner’s near the tar pits”). The TALK BMW will be shown at this year’s CeBit electronics show in Hannover, starting this week.