Have you ever been motoring down the street and thought, "Well, okay, this is fine, but driving would be a lot more fun if it were more like a videogame"? So have we. Thankfully, the folks at Autoglass have, too.
Autoglass put together a video envisioning the windshield of the future -- 2020 to be exact. What's interesting about clip is that (a) it seems completely intuitive and (b) it relies on existing technology.
The glass uses a heads-up display, much like we've seen in today's cars, with meters for speed and fuel level in plain sight. Autoglass' vision goes further, though, incorporating GPS to show the area's speed limit, warn of traffic cams, and note points of interest like museums.
The glass also uses sensors built into the (imaginary) car to identify nearby obstacles, like cyclists and pedestrians. (In that sense, it's not too different from vehicles like the Mercedes E-Class, which offer braking in case of imminent collisions or alarms if a vehicle slips out of its lane.) The glass then uses augmented reality software to mark those obstacles with pins, not unlike those you'd find in Google Street View.
And of course, the glass makes use of geolocational software to point out nearby discounts and deals. That passive approach to location technology is one of the best we've seen so far.
But then, maybe we've been playing too much Grand Theft Auto. Take a look at the clip below and let us know: is this too distracting for drivers? Or is this a sensible way to get drivers' eyes off their smartphones and back on the road?
[AutoExpress via Vik]
