[stavros]

Are there physical controls that mount on a digitizer? E.g. instead of a rotary dial on a potentiometer, the bottom sits on a digitizer that can translate the "touch" event into circular motion. Same with buttons, like with a keyboard membrane, but capacitive. Wouldn't that be cheaper?

[exitb]

That’s not addressing the right issue. Encoders and switches are not the expensive parts. What’s expensive is designing the dashboard with precise holes, before you actually start the manufacturing process, lining up the component with the hole and cap, making sure they actually work etc. Compare that to a dashboard of the new Tesla robo taxi, which basically has a complexity of a TV mount.

[stavros]

But you don't need to line up the holes if you can just plonk the component down anywhere and then program the software with the locations of the components after the fact.

[Kirby64]

Ford does this on the MachE and I think the F150L. They have a rotary dial for volume control and that is just mounted directly to the touch screen and uses some sort of wipers to make contact for the control surface.