{"id":1659,"date":"2017-05-31T15:57:57","date_gmt":"2017-05-31T10:27:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autofacets.com\/insights\/?p=1659"},"modified":"2020-08-17T14:12:03","modified_gmt":"2020-08-17T08:42:03","slug":"heads-up-driving-is-about-to-be-revolutionized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autofacets.com\/insights\/heads-up-driving-is-about-to-be-revolutionized\/","title":{"rendered":"Heads-up: Driving is about to be revolutionized"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A new automotive frontier called augmented reality will display details \u2013 from speed to maps to e-mail \u2013 on the windshield<\/strong><\/p>\n

Navigation arrows, pedestrians outlined in red, magnified road signs, \u201cghost\u201d cars that show you where to go \u2013 they\u2019re all on-screen features found in many PlayStation and Xbox<\/span> racing\u00a0games.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But the line between playing a video game and driving an actual car is about to get blurry as augmented reality (AR) begins to migrate into vehicle\u00a0windshields.<\/p>\n

Toyota last year patented an AR windshield \u2013 a slab of glass that can display computerized text and graphics, just like a smartphone screen. And in December, car systems designer Harman<\/span> took a stake in Navdy<\/span>, a San Francisco-based startup that makes AR display units that sit above a vehicle\u2019s steering wheel, with an eye to full windshield\u00a0integration.<\/p>\n

Industry observers say the wide-scale rollout<\/span> of AR in cars is still a few years away, but it is coming \u2013 and they\u2019re bullish on the technology making driving safer and more\u00a0fun.<\/p>\n

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Navdy\u2019s display units sit above a vehicle\u2019s steering wheel. Industry observers say augmented reality in vehicles could see a wide-scale rollout in a few\u00a0years.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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AR has been around for a while, but its first real worldwide hit came last year courtesy of Pok\u00e9mon<\/span> Go. The smartphone game, which superimposes cartoon monsters on the real world using the phone\u2019s camera, generated more than $1-billion (U.S.) for creator Niantic<\/span> Inc<\/span>. in just six months.<\/p>\n

That smash success kicked off a gold rush, with companies of all sizes now racing to add AR to their products. Microsoft is selling its $3,000 HoloLens<\/span>, a wearable holographic computer, while Apple is expected to make the technology a key feature of its 10th-anniversary<\/span> iPhone<\/span> this\u00a0fall.<\/p>\n

Other, smaller companies are also finding novel uses for the technology. Toronto-based ModiFace<\/span> Inc<\/span>., for example, makes AR software for so-called smart mirrors, which let users test new makeup combinations\u00a0virtually.<\/p>\n

Gartner<\/span> expects AR and its cousin, virtual reality, to generate $72-billion in device revenue alone over the next\u00a0decade.<\/p>\n

Auto makers are taking notice, as AR\u2019s<\/span> potential in-car benefits are obvious. Displaying important information such as speed and directions directly on the windshield, for example, would keep drivers from taking their eyes off the\u00a0road.<\/p>\n

Some manufacturers have already taken steps in this direction. Several Toyota models, including the Prius, can project such basic information onto the windshield. Jaguar Land Rover is also experimenting with\u00a0AR.<\/p>\n

More advanced implementations would allow for the addition of game-like capabilities. Toyota\u2019s patent, for example, suggests AR could be used to show drivers exactly how much of a highway lane their car is taking\u00a0up.<\/p>\n

\u201cToyota recognizes the various benefits of heads-up display, including that a driver can see important information about roads, speeds \u2026 with less eye movement from the primary line of sight,\u201d said Toyota Canada spokesman Michael Bouliane<\/span>. \u201cToyota will continue to work to make this technology even more\u00a0user-friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the meantime, a number of third-party companies are betting drivers will want aftermarket units that deliver similar\u00a0benefits.<\/p>\n

Navdy\u2019s<\/span> device projects maps, caller IDs, messages, e-mails and music information so that they appear to be about a metre and a half in front of the driver\u2019s point of view. The $499 device plugs into the car\u2019s on-board diagnostics port and connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth<\/span>, so it pulls information from both the vehicle and the\u00a0Internet.<\/p>\n

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While there\u2019s an obvious benefit to keeping drivers\u2019 eyes on the road, auto makers will have to prove that the technology delivers safety benefits and isn\u2019t just another distraction.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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Drivers can navigate through information using a steering wheel-mounted thumb dial or gesture\u00a0sensors.<\/p>\n

Navdy<\/span> is now working with car makers through its partnership with Harman<\/span> to build its technology into vehicles, which could happen in the next two or three\u00a0years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are people who would like this solution sooner rather than later, but we are working directly with auto manufacturers on that integration,\u201d Navdy<\/span> chief revenue officer Dan Currie<\/span>\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

One of the challenges in adding AR to cars, he added, is the extra cost of effectively transforming windshields into transparent TV screens. Outfitting dashboards with three-dimensional projectors that beam images onto the windshield is a cheaper and more viable\u00a0option.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure if the windscreen [route] is a long-term solution \u2013 unless there\u2019s a dramatic reduction in cost,\u201d Mr. Currie<\/span>\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

AR is also likely to face regulatory concerns, since it may give drivers more visual information to digest. Auto makers will have to prove that the technology delivers safety benefits and isn\u2019t just another\u00a0distraction.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever you put something in front of someone\u2019s face when they\u2019re trying to navigate a car or motorcycle, there are a number of legislative and regulatory issues you have to get past to allow that to happen,\u201d Mr. Nguyen\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

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Author –\u00a0PETER NOWAK<\/a><\/p>\n

Courtesy of The Globe and Mail<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new automotive frontier called augmented reality will display details \u2013 from speed to maps to e-mail \u2013 on the windshield Navigation arrows, pedestrians outlined in red, magnified road signs, \u201cghost\u201d cars that show you where to go \u2013 they\u2019re all on-screen features found in many PlayStation and Xbox racing\u00a0games. But the line between playing <\/p>\n

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