Jaguar Land Rover is creating an augmented reality system that will eliminate blind spots for drivers and may very well save lives.
The carmaker refers to it as a ‘360 Virtual Urban Windscreen’.
The pillars inside a vehicle that hold the roof, including the two around the windscreen and those on the side, are common blind spots, and the technology would allow drivers to see through the pillars to what is on the other side.
Cameras facing the exterior of the vehicle relay imagery to embedded screens located in the pillars and posts. That allows the driver to have a 360-degree view of his or her surroundings, including cyclists, pedestrians and other vehicles on the road. Any person, motorist or cyclist who may be at risk will be highlighted with a warning signal thanks to a Heads-up display on the images shown on the virtual and real windshields. This Heads-up blind-spot technology is not the only innovation.
Another is the ‘Follow-MeGhost Car Navigation’ that shows a virtual vehicle in front of the driver to replace typical voice navigation systems. Jaguar Land Rover believe the ‘ghost car’ is a far more interactive way of getting to destinations and also keeps drivers’ eyes on the road rather than on GPS maps.
