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Augmented Reality iPhone Driving App Detects Obstacles In Real Time

 
4 3,112 views Aug 18, 2010
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imaGinyze Augmented Driving iPhone app

imaGinyze Augmented Driving iPhone app

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The iPhone 3GS was recently eclipsed by the new iPhone 4, but that doesn't mean it's ready for the dustbin. A new augmented reality driving app by imaGinyze aims to make it your safety companion on the road.

So what, exactly, does this app do? Titled simply Augmented Driving, the app uses the phone's built-in camera to view the road ahead and imaGinyze's software to detect road obstacles, warning the driver of any potential hazards with voice notifications. It even claims "head-up display (HUD) for system and status information," though it achieves that not as a true projected HUD display, but simply on the iPhone's screen, mounted to the windshield.

According to imaGinyze, you simply mount the phone on your windshield in landscape mode, fire up the app, and it does the rest. The company claims the app can detect and warn about lane changes, vehicles ahead, and distance to obstacles, much like many of the built-in systems found in higher-end luxury cars. The ability to retrofit such a system to an existing car with a device already likely in your pocket is attractive.

Not so attractive, however, is the "up to" 10 frame-per-second limitation of the display. A tenth of a second at 70 mph equates to 10 feet traveled. If the frame rate drops to 5 fps, that could mean a delay of 20 feet. That might not sound like much, but it could be the difference between stopping in time and an impromptu remodeling of your car's front end.

Available now in the App Store for $2.99, the app may require a workaround to avoid a black screen with yellow bars at startup--again, not promising. Frame rates are decreased even further on the iPhone 4 as well, due to the extra processing required to handle the upgraded 5-megapixel camera and high-res display of the new hardware.

We'll be taking the app for a test drive soon, and will report back on our findings. In the meantime, you can find the app at the developers site or in the App Store at the links below, and see it in action in the video.

[imaGinyze, App Store via Gizmag]





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Comments (4)

  1. By Charles Posted: 8/18/2010 1:07pm PDT

    This is intended for people who can't afford an
    S class.
     
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  2. By FT9 Posted: 8/19/2010 12:42am PDT

    Also intended for people who probably shouldn't be on the road. If you are unable to see what is in front of your car, you should either go get an eye test or hand in your license. It is just another thing to distract the driver from their task of concentrating on the road.
     
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  3. By  RayRenteria Posted: 8/19/2010 10:13am PDT

    This is a fantastic application for the iPhone! While not necessarily practical with the current frame rates it can certainly mitigate inadvertent lane changes due to drowsiness--think truck drivers. I also see a benefit in terms of a little-black-box that can store the last few minutes of video for use of evidence in the event of an accident. The ability to identify a vehicle in a scene lends itself also to expand into license-plate lookup to super-impose information about the driver in front of you. I can see a lot of great new directions that can be taken with this. The performance and frame rate will eventually catch up.
    --Ray
     
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  4. By Legend_of_Zorro Posted: 8/21/2010 1:12pm PDT

    You need an app to take over some of your driving duties? Seriously? Ive got a better idea. If this app is this smart, forget the aids, and just make it a road rage reliever. The app turns your car into the Batmobile, and by voice activation, it locks onto the target in front of you, fires missiles visable on the phone screen at the "target" and simulates and explosion over where the car is on the screen. Also available, animated machine gun tracer fire, with the same result! You hear the explosions, and smile to yourself that you just "blew up" the bastard that just cut you off or some other idiot offense. Throw in an audible congratulations from Alfred. Now THATS an app! I just gave away a freebie too, lol.
     
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