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I'm waiting for someone to propose pointing cameras in all directions and replacing the windshield and windows with screens. It'd let them cut the amount of gla

I'm waiting for someone to propose pointing cameras in all directions and replacing the windshield and windows with screens. It'd let them cut the amount of glass in the vehicle down dramatically, which could have both cost and safety benefits. And it would enable them to remove longstanding visibility issues like blind spots caused by structurally necessary pillars; if the view outside is synthetic, no reason why it couldn't be synthesized in such a way as to provide complete 360-degree visibility. (Of course, the fight to prove that a car which is essentially a closed container is safe to operate would make the fight to just remove the side mirrors look like a schoolyard scrap.)

Merrill 7y ago
Interesting concept. When combined with a self-driving car, you could drive through a particularly unpleasant neighborhood and instead look at views of whatever scenic trip you fancy.
- saagarjha 7y ago
  > When combined with a self-driving car, you could drive through a particularly unpleasant neighborhood and instead look at views of whatever scenic trip you fancy. This sounds awfully dystopian…
  - mattkrause 7y ago
    Not to mention nauseating—-you’d need some clever tricks to make the images match up with the car’s motion.
omeid2 7y ago
That is a cool idea, and the recent Mercedes-Benz S-class and others with what they call "360 camera" pretty much has more than enough camera to make this possible however in practice driving around with cameras is pretty awkward, even for parking despite the very cool "3d" effect, I found using mirrors for parking much more practical. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgnR4i_umhE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgnR4i_umhE
- drdaeman 7y ago
  I'm thinking about installing a 360° aftermarket camera in my car. That's because I can't see where my front (esp. the front right side) is with any mirrors. Nose's too low to see the corners. I've already brushed against other person's car in the dark and lost some sleep over that, waiting for them to contact me (thankfully, they weren't too much upset over it). A 360 camera is certainly not a replacement for mirrors, but looks like an awesome ability to have additional vision. BTW, I wonder why no one places parking camera display in a way that requires driver to physically turn backwards and see the window as well. Even mirrors don't really provide a proper view, and it's inconvenient (if not unsafe) to turn back and forth.

Merrill 7y ago

Interesting concept. When combined with a self-driving car, you could drive through a particularly unpleasant neighborhood and instead look at views of whatever scenic trip you fancy.

saagarjha 7y ago
> When combined with a self-driving car, you could drive through a particularly unpleasant neighborhood and instead look at views of whatever scenic trip you fancy. This sounds awfully dystopian…
- mattkrause 7y ago
  Not to mention nauseating—-you’d need some clever tricks to make the images match up with the car’s motion.

omeid2 7y ago

That is a cool idea, and the recent Mercedes-Benz S-class and others with what they call "360 camera" pretty much has more than enough camera to make this possible however in practice driving around with cameras is pretty awkward, even for parking despite the very cool "3d" effect, I found using mirrors for parking much more practical. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgnR4i_umhE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgnR4i_umhE

drdaeman 7y ago
I'm thinking about installing a 360° aftermarket camera in my car. That's because I can't see where my front (esp. the front right side) is with any mirrors. Nose's too low to see the corners. I've already brushed against other person's car in the dark and lost some sleep over that, waiting for them to contact me (thankfully, they weren't too much upset over it). A 360 camera is certainly not a replacement for mirrors, but looks like an awesome ability to have additional vision. BTW, I wonder why no one places parking camera display in a way that requires driver to physically turn backwards and see the window as well. Even mirrors don't really provide a proper view, and it's inconvenient (if not unsafe) to turn back and forth.