Pioneer Preps Laser Heads-Up Display For Cars

itwbennett writes "On display at Japan's Ceatec show this week is a heads-up display from Pioneer that links with a smartphone's navigation system. The prototype uses a laser to display bright, high-contrast, full-color images on a screen that would be mounted above the dashboard so drivers don't have to take their eyes fully off the road in order to receive driving instructions from their robot overlords. The demonstration model was hooked up to an Android-based phone and displayed a navigation map on the left-hand side and an animated Android robot on the right-hand side that passed on information to drivers. 'We are currently aiming for an after-market product, but we are talking with car manufacturers,' said Masaya Hashida, tech manager at Pioneer's smart vision business development department." An anonymous reader points out another gadget shown at Ceatec: a pair of augmented reality glasses that projects information to a user's peripheral vision and weighs only 20 grams.

Comments

It sounds really useful

[BadAnalogyGuy]

Of course, navigation is one obvious application of this, but coupled with a front-mounted IR sensor, it could also provide obstacle detection and highlighting during night time driving.

I wonder what they have in the pipeline!

Re:It sounds really useful

[Dayze!Confused]

an animated Android robot on the right-hand side that passed on information to drivers

Am I the only one who thought of Mr. Clippy when I read this?

P.S.
If the quote is messed up it's because for some reason /. has disabled my ability to cut and paste.

Re:It sounds really useful

[gagol]

The cute animations can and will distract attention. This alone may pose a threat to driving. I myself tested driving with a GPS unit and found it distracting and just another excuse to not develop your sense of orientation. I prefer to rely on my own skills, if I get lost, I have maps in my car and pull over to consult them instead of trying to do too much at the same time while driving.

Re:It sounds really useful

[BasilBrush]

The cute animation is indeed the worst idea since clippy. But I thoroughly disagree with your comments on GPS generally.

It's often not possible (illegal) to pull over. Meanwhile your mind can become distracted from the lower level functions of driving by the problem of trying to work out where you should be going. And stress levels can rise if you become lost or don't know if you will be late to your destination. It's far better to delegate the navigation task to a machine that can do a far better job of it when you are in an unknown area.

So long as the Sat Nav has a voice, so you don't have to keep monitoring the screen, it's a real help.

I mean, if you had a passenger, you'd let them do the map reading, right? Well a Sat Nav does a far better job than they would.

Oh, and on average you'll get there quicker and use less fuel with a Sat Nav too.

Re:It sounds really useful

[sznupi]

Though people overdo - I've seen far too many times to count a car from my (small / impossible to get lost in) place, driving directly towards it on a ubermain route & short distance away, in the night, with GPS unit blasting at their eyes with its screen at full brightness.

And that's when it's easy to notice (despite not that many people having satnav in my part of the woods) / how many other times GPS units are used in a detrimental or outright dangerous way?

F your targeting computer

[RevWaldo]

I put my trust in the force when I drive, and the plastic Jesus on my dashboard.

.

That's all we need ...

[schwit1]

More distractions while driving. Is it too much to ask that people drive when behind the wheel?

If you NEED to use a phone while on the road please think of the people around you - carpool, use public transportation or take a taxi.

Re:That's all we need ...

[Anonymous Coward]

The Airforce puts information in a HUD so their pilots will be distracted and perform poorly. Yup, that's it.

Sounds great, looks cool, but...

[digitaldc]

...what happens when the computer or display goes haywire or sends you in to an uncharted area? Do you follow your sense of sight or do you just drive off the cliff? (too bad they didn't have these for Segways)

FTA: "The prototype uses a laser to display bright, high-contrast, full-color images on a screen that would be mounted above the dashboard, between the driver and the windscreen. To the driver the projected images would appear in the lower part of the windscreen."

Gives new meaning to the term 'distracted driving'

Re:Sounds great, looks cool, but...

[Nidi62]

People do this anyway with hand-held or dash-mounted GPS navigation. You hear stories all the time of people driving down closed streets, or through construction areas all because their GPS told them to even though there are plenty of signs warning them. People are going to be idiots and not pay attention to where they're going regardless.

Re:Well....

[oldspewey]

I remember seeing that film in the theatres back in '96. Well, I didn't see the whole film, only the parts leading up to me walking out thinking "WTF? I paid actual money for this?"

Re:Well....

[Omestes]

I remember pondering what lesson I was supposed to learn. I'm pretty sure it was "everyone is an asshole, except that one Mexican guy". I'm sure that is applicable to my day-to-day life, though the message was a bit hurt by me pondering WHY that one Mexican guy wasn't an ass, was it an oversight by the film makers, or what it intentional? They went out of their way to paint everyone as sympathetic racists, except that ONE guy?!

Much like all the of the recent politically correct movie genre, I'm confused. People told me that that move, "Hard Candy" was awesome, poignant, insightful, ad nauseum. I watched it, and pondered the fact that I just watched a movie that made me feel sympathetic for a pedophile. I doubt this was intentional, but still it made it hard to enjoy the movie.

I hate idiotic movies that are supposed to teach me a moral lesson. Most of the time they fail completely. But then again I suppose I'm not the intended audience, the intended audience are people who already agree with the message and want to feel smug.

Re:Green Laser

[gstoddart]

Tell that to my wife's Saturn. She won't get her AC belt fixed

The car is working as expected. Your wife seems to be the problem. ;-)

Re:soooo....

[mcgrew]

You nailed it. The idea sounds incredibly retarded, dangerous as all getout.

The demonstration model was hooked up to an Android-based phone and displayed a navigation map on the left-hand side and an animated Android robot on the right-hand side that passed on information to drivers.

Jesus, I have trouble concentrating on reading the paper with moving flashing doodads on the page distracting me. People can't even talk on the phone without driving worse than a drunk!

This is the dumbest idea I've heard of in a long time. Now, if they had it attached to a radar to warn of coming up too close to objects, and and an IR sensor to warn of animals and pedestrians, it would be a good idea. But jesus h. christ, this idea is just retardedly dangerous. WTF's wrong with a voice saying "turn left at the next intersection" like GPSes do now? What purpose does an animated robot serve?