HOLOGRAMS IN VEHICLES

Holograms in vehicles sounds a little like science fiction, but a company in the U.K. is working on using holograms as an information source for all drivers. Most of us are familiar with the “Heads-up” (HUD) displays that fighter pilots use so they don’t have to look down at their instruments while in a dogfight – we have Hollywood and Tom Cruise to thank for that knowledge. Even some Spitfires in World War II had a reflection of a gunsight on a screen in the pilot’s line of sight.

      Such displays have even been available in some cars since the late 1980’s, but they have been restricted to 2D images of the speedometer, the local speed limit and, maybe, the gas gauge. This new technology provides 3D images – holograms – in your line-of-sight.     

      Up till now, holographic images have involved a special headset, like the ones used for playing computer games, and that is hardly applicable to a driver. In fact, any such idea is obviously highly dangerous.

      Envisics has developed a technology that projects the same sort of 3D image in front of the driver without obstructing the view forward. The first commercial launch of this new technology will be later this year on the new Cadillac Lyrig, an electric SUV produced by General Motors.

      Earlier HUDs used liquid crystal or LED projectors on the dashboard to project the image onto the windscreen. The new technology uses three miniaturized lasers producing red, blue and green moving holograms just inside the windscreen.

      Producing a system that would be small enough to fit on a dashboard but powerful enough to be seen by a driver in bright sunlight was difficult. It involved filing over 1,000 new patents.

      This technology includes projecting images of potential hazards on the road ahead, and includes the capability of sizing the image to provide realistic depth perception for the driver as to how far ahead the hazard is. It can also provide the normal graphic representations of any vehicle function the manufacturer thinks is important.

      The future even includes the possible integration of driverless vehicle technology into this new HUD. More importantly, from a safety perspective is the integration of voice activation for images that are currently on screens in the dashboard. Those screens are presently dangerous because the driver has to look down to see the screen. If the driver can respond to what’s on the screen by voice because they can see it in front of them, it will be much safer.

      Some people think that future drivers might not have to control the vehicle directly at all. They will be able to just interact with the holograms. Now that is scarier than hell, especially in the development stage. Can you just imagine the possible scenarios? I suppose it’s no more dangerous than driverless cars, but I will take a lot of convincing before I buy one!

      I fully realize that technology will march on whether we like it or not; some people might remember that automatic transmissions were considered dangerous when they were first introduced! I therefore submit this blog as a “heads-up” for what we might expect, not very far down the road, if you excuse the pun.

      Since these types of new technologies are always driven by markets, and returns on investments, the potential sales of this new HUD technology is an obvious consideration. Current projections put the market for HUD devices in vehicles at somewhere over $10 billion by 2034 and growing at a rate of 24% a year.

      However, I think I will stick to my 1946 MGTC. It may be nearly as old as I am but it’s simple, reliable and can be fixed, in most instances, with duct tape and coat hangers.