General Motors is always proactive in taking initiatives regarding the safety and driving experience and has been working on such concepts for the last 22 years. Initially the company came up with a new concept in itself where the speed of the vehicle was displayed on the windshield using tiny projectors and was considered as an inspiring step, but recently the global firm is back with yet another system which is designed to deliver a better experience altogether while driving.
The new system is known as ENHANCED VISION SYSTEM which enables the driver to get a better understanding of the surroundings. The system is based on Transparent Display Technology in which the whole windshield coated with light emitting phosphors is excited by compact laser which further acts as a medium to display/highlight objects in real world. The system is capable of detecting road edges and highlighting them and highlighting animals about to cross the road. The system is extremely useful in Foggy conditions where safety is the primary requirement.
The whole set-up comprises of forward looking sensors including infrared sensors, night-vision (useful in detecting animals on the side of the road), radar etc.It also contains a set of cameras mounted underneath the windshield on the dashboard to track the driver’s position and align the highlighted object in real world on the transparent display technology windshield accordingly which would eventually enhance the driver’s ability to see.
Apart from the safety point of view the system also emphasizes on Landmark Navigation conveniences since it is entirely different from the conventional Global Positioning System(GPS) Navigation which only tells the driver that the vehicle has arrived at the desired location. On the other hand this system can actually highlight the buildings on the side of the roads telling you visually that the location has been reached.
Thomas Seder, group lab manager for GM R&D has stated “We have done testing on a number of drivers and their performance is better relative to head-down systems that are commonly used in vehicles today. This design is superior to traditional head down display-based night vision systems, which require a user to read information from a traditional display, create a mental model and imagine the threat’s precise location in space.”
Below is the official video from GM demonstrating the concept and its implementation.
Currently GM has no plans in mind to install this technology in vehicles but the same might come with the upcoming vehicles.
