Japan Says Yes To Mirrorless Cars (carscoops.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Last month, Japan became one of the first countries to allow vehicles to use cameras instead of mirrors. "Video mirrors" will no longer be reserved for concept cars. They will likely turn into a huge marketplace for tech businesses and suppliers now that the "Land of the Rising Sun" gave Japanese companies the green light by allowing mirrorless vehicles. While many would argue that glass mirrors work just fine, video mirrors do have some real-world advantages. They can reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency (Warning: source may be paywalled) while improving the looks of a vehicle in the process. In addition, they can capture a wide-angle view that can see blind spots, and they can improve visibility by digitally compensating for glare, darkness or even rainy weather. The first company to supply digital mirrors will be Ichikoh. Their first product will be an interior rear-view mirror named the Smart Rear View Mirror that will enter production on June 28th.

Comments

It's all fun and games

[Anonymous Coward]

Until your mirror bluescreens on you....

Say what you will about oldschool tech but a normal mirror is never going randomly cut out on you. I could see cameras as supplemental but never as an outright replacement.

Re: It's all fun and games

[pixelpusher220]

How about folding mirrors with a fish eye type lens on the end. Folds for video operation giving all the benefits and folds out if it ever fails allowing 'normal' mirror usage. Or I'm sure someone will invent the mirror equivalent of a donut spare. Something you pull from the trunk and latch on the car in the normal place.

Re:It's all fun and games

[lgw]

Until it explodes with so much force that it sends shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

I've had that happen! Clipped a misplaced construction barrel at moderate speed, and the glass from the side view mirror exploded into the car (my window was down). Better to have you mirror cut out on you than to have it cut into you!

Good for Aerodynamics, Bad for Human Driven Cars

[Anonymous Coward]

This is great for aerodynamics. Aptera first used cameras on the sides before the state here told them no.

Bad for the driver though. Tech breaks all too often. Or sunlight on the screens. Etc.

Now will they allow the side mirror with no blind spot already?
http://phys.org/news/2012-06-math-professor-side-mirror-patent.html

backup!

[p51d007]

I'd prefer a MIRROR to all this tech garbage. With a mirror, it TRAINS YOU to watch, look for blind spots, and not depend on tech. If the tech stops, and people are use to the tech, then they will fall out of habit, or in the case of younger drivers, not know to look outside the "mirror". I've read several articles where car thieves have been caught, or given up stealing cars, because they don't know how to drive a MANUAL TRANSMISSION. (I've driven one for the past 35 years because it's better in snow starting out in 2nd than first, and, I drive a Mustang...can't stomach auto transmission in a sports car). Even a lot of aircraft, have a backup wire pulley system, just in case the high tech stuff stops working. Fine, put this tech in a car, but keep the old school for a backup until the high tech stuff is as DEPENDABLE to the old school stuff.

MPG savings

[fulldecent]

What is the actual fuel economy savings on a normal car over the course of a year with this new technology?

Horrible in daylight

[Hans Lehmann]

I have a late model car with one of those back-up cameras, which is displayed on an LCD display mounted in the dash. On a bright sunny day, when I'm backing into, say, a shaded parking spot, the cameras display in completely useless. The glare from the dashboard, hood, etc., completely drowns out the wimpy LCD display. In those cases, there's no way in hell I'm going to want a car without mirrors.