The head-up display, also called head-up display or HuD (by its acronym), is a transparent display that presents information in the driver’s field of vision. With the integration of augmented reality (AR) technology, the illusion they provide is perfect.
With the so-called AR-HuD, the virtual world and the real world merge, and the driver gets useful information without having to take his eyes off the road. In the future, these systems will become even more sophisticated.
Combining holography and augmented reality, start-up company WayRay has unveiled a concept that projects holograms onto vehicle windshields using lasers..
It is said that the reproduction would be about ten times greater than that of the already known systems. In addition to the layout of the road, the system reproduces, graphically and in color, animations of pedestrians, cyclists, traffic signs or advertisements that are displayed on the windows of the vehicle.
“The animations dance in front of the car and move analogous to it, controlled by the user’s gaze direction,” explains Vitaly Ponomarev, founder of WayRay.
The executive specifies that this new AR experience starts from the beam of red, green and blue lights projected on the dashboard from the compact laser system mounted on the vehicle’s floor.
The vehicle’s dashboard incorporates an optical system that reveals the holograms and projects them onto a special photopolymer film that covers the windshield. Objects appear to the observer in a range that goes from practically zero meters to an almost infinite distance.
The first cars with this technology are expected to go on sale in 2025.. As their name indicates, the head-up displays they allow the driver to keep his head up, so he does not need to look away to read the screens.
This perk removes one source of danger. At a speed of 100 km/h, for example, you cover 56 meters in two seconds, a distance during which many things can happen. Not surprisingly, head-up displays were first used on fighter planes around 1940.
The projections were intended to prevent the pilot from having to avert his eyes to the instruments during difficult maneuvers and literally lose sight of what was happening.
In the 1980s, the first black and white projections appeared on cars.; Color HUDs have been around since the early 2000s. And they’re still part of the equipment on planes.
Pedro Ribeiro Monteiro is responsible for Mercedes-Benz’s Mbux infotainment system, which includes an optional head-up display with RA.
Engineers spent around five years developing the system, which is currently used in the S-Class and its electric counterpart, the EQS. “In order not to overwhelm drivers, only the most necessary information, such as current speed, navigation data, driving assistance information or speed limits, is displayed in the field of vision,” says Monteiro.
The system also can be configured to display the names of contacts who call by phone, streets or radio stations. Mercedes’ system still requires a lot of space, which is more readily available in an S-Class than in an A-Class.
Therefore, the systems of the future will have to be smaller and, at the same time, offer a larger image and other functions that assist the user behind the wheel. “In curves, a wide image would be of great help to the driver, but screens in the side windows are also conceivable,” says Monteiro with a view to future autonomous vehicles.
In this context, WayRay also sees potential for side window holograms with information and content.
According to Vitaly Ponomarev, any transparent surface can be transformed into an augmented reality screen, including the windows in the living room. AR-HuD is also being researched by numerous vendors and institutes to be able to play content on windows in the future.
Projections also offer many possible applications in augmented reality glasses. Several technology companies have already developed prototypes and series models. Among the well-known smart wearables with AR projection are Google Glass and Microsoft Hololens.
Volkswagen has already integrated an AR-HuD system in the compact car segment. This is optional equipment on electric models, such as the ID.3 and ID.4.
“The ergonomic benefits significantly increase driving comfort,” says Alexander Kunze, specialist for AR systems at Volkswagen.
The cognitive effort required to interpret displayed information is reducedsince the respective indications appear practically at their reference point around the road”, he points out.
Navigation, distance or lane keeping information is only displayed when needed, and visually in an area that appears to be ten meters away. Beneath it is another display band with static information that appears to float three meters away.
As for future developments, Alexander Kunze states: “In the coming years, we will use the increasingly better and more accurate data from the vehicle to develop new functions. with great benefits for the driver, as in the case of assisted lane change”.
However, developers will not be able to do without support screens located below the HuD in the future. The law stipulates that all essential information must be visible at all times. This includes all warning and control lights.
Source: Eluniverso
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