Taking HUD to a whole new level, at the Shanghai Motor Show, MINI will be showcasing the MINI Augmented Vision technology. It is essentially eyewear that shows relevant information in the driver’s direct field of vision but without concealing other road users, thereby serving to increase safety and comfort while driving. And it enables the driver to have X-Ray vision…no, we’re not kidding!
Jointly developed with several Qualcomm companies, the MINI Augmented Vision will be able to project driving information on the lens of the glasses.
There are many functions that will be projected into the field of view with MINI Augmented Vision, for example;
- Destination entry for navigation and transfer to vehicle: Selecting destination points when outside the vehicle, then transferring them to the vehicle.
- First Kilometer / Last Kilometer: Navigation display from the current location to the vehicle or from the vehicle to the final destination.
- Head-up display functions: Display of speed, speed limits etc. in the eyewear so the information is in the driver’s primary field of view, with data always shown in same place above steering wheel to make sure that no road users are concealed from sight.
- Contact-analogue navigation and points of interest: Reality is enhanced by contact-analogue navigation arrows “on” the road, as well as display of points of interest along the route, such as open parking spaces. The driver´s attention can always stay focused on the traffic.
- Messaging: A small icon is shown in the eyewear when a message is received. The SMS/message can then be read out by the car while driving for safety.
- X-Ray View / transparent vehicle parts: A virtual view through parts of the vehicle (such as A-pillars and doors) serves to render external areas or objects concealed by the car visible.
- Augmented Parking: This facilitates parking by projecting the images from a camera housed in the (farside) mirror into the eyewear. In this way, the distance from the curb can be clearly and easily ascertained.
According to Qualcomm Connected Experiences Vice President, Jay Wright, “We are proud to have helped develop a breakthrough augmented reality interface between eyewear and the automobile.” He added, “MINI Augmented Vision offers a compelling example of what’s possible today, and what we can expect in the future.”
