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Well, this would be another method for achieving heads up displays. Here's an application that I think would be really cool: HUD retrofits for cars. Take a tran

Well, this would be another method for achieving heads up displays. Here's an application that I think would be really cool: HUD retrofits for cars. Take a transparent plastic film, stick it to the inside of your windshield in a similar manner like you would apply a tint film to the side and rear windows. Then, take the connector dangling from the corner of the film and connect it to the supplied box which connects to the ODB port, or some other standardized connector which connects it to the necessary vehicle systems. I could also totally see Tesla or one of the older luxury car brands doing something similar, where the HUD in the front windows is integrated into the car systems. IMO, the harder part will be not integrating the technology in this article (or something similar), but designing the HUD to be something actually useful and informative to the vehicle operator, affording them better, more informed control of their vehicle, instead of being some distracting thing that you can't disable.

spollo 6y ago
That would be cool for aftermarket HUDs. As far as making a useful HUD goes, some carmakers are already doing that. I have a 2019 Mazda CX-5 and it has a HUD that is projected on to the windshield. It tells me my current speed, the current speed limit of the road I am on, if there is a stop sign ahead, and if I run the GPS system it displays the next cross street, and arrow symbols for upcoming turns. I personally find it super useful! I don't need to look down at my instrument panel as my current speed gets sort of projected on road ahead of me. It's small and a barebones design but it works.
- wizzwizz4 6y ago
  The thing you describe works by passing an image through lenses, and reflecting it off the windscreen. That way, you can focus on it and the road at the same time. For transparent OLED-based systems, you'd have to stare at the windscreen to look at them – so you wouldn't see them on the road; they'd look much nearer.
- AuryGlenz 6y ago
  My 2011 Camaro also has a HUD, and I’d hate to go back to a car without it. I only use cruise control very infrequently, so being able to see what speed I’m going without taking my eyes off the road is great. I honestly think it should be a mandated feature.
handedness 6y ago
While I fully expect automakers to play that game however they can, there's not a huge benefit to moving the display up into your field of view from just below it (like a Prius), and there are a number of downsides. And a real HUD, beyond deciding what information to present and how to present it (as you rightly pointed out), is also technically far more complex than slapping a display on glass: "I commented on the original post, but this is a great example of reason #1 why HUDs are still green after 50+ years. Colors are additive with the outside world. There are conditions (sunset/sunrise) where you could get misleading information. Ambers and reds mean specific things. (https://images.app.goo.gl/G5Udbponiu1M1Fnc6 https://images.app.goo.gl/G5Udbponiu1M1Fnc6) "The optics in projecting an image reliably at optical infinity (makes it look like a billboard 500 yards in front of you rather than a TV screen 6 feet from you) are actually quite complicated and tuned to the specific wavelength. Having multiple colors drastically increases the complexity, or reduces the clarity because you have to compromise on the optimal wavelength. "Generally the goal is to be as consistent with the head-down display as possible to limit the head cycles spent context switching, but in the case of colors we have other means of calling attention to important info: boxing and flashing both do a pretty effective job." https://www.reddit.com/r/hudporn/comments/i8fp9m/the_hudset_from_a_737ng/g180c74/ https://www.reddit.com/r/hudporn/comments/i8fp9m/the_hudset_... Anything less than that just risks becoming obscured, with less contrast and similar focal-distance issues than a good instrument cluster. That said, I wouldn't mind something I could stick on the glass of a vintage vehicle up in the corner so I can add instrumentation without modifying the dash. But you're still going to get a much better approach with a windshield-mounted glass combiner, Picture Generating Unit and a projector.
justinclift 6y ago
Also, HUDs for motorbike helmets, general eyewear, and lots more. :)

spollo 6y ago

That would be cool for aftermarket HUDs. As far as making a useful HUD goes, some carmakers are already doing that. I have a 2019 Mazda CX-5 and it has a HUD that is projected on to the windshield. It tells me my current speed, the current speed limit of the road I am on, if there is a stop sign ahead, and if I run the GPS system it displays the next cross street, and arrow symbols for upcoming turns. I personally find it super useful! I don't need to look down at my instrument panel as my current speed gets sort of projected on road ahead of me. It's small and a barebones design but it works.

wizzwizz4 6y ago
The thing you describe works by passing an image through lenses, and reflecting it off the windscreen. That way, you can focus on it and the road at the same time. For transparent OLED-based systems, you'd have to stare at the windscreen to look at them – so you wouldn't see them on the road; they'd look much nearer.
AuryGlenz 6y ago
My 2011 Camaro also has a HUD, and I’d hate to go back to a car without it. I only use cruise control very infrequently, so being able to see what speed I’m going without taking my eyes off the road is great. I honestly think it should be a mandated feature.

handedness 6y ago

While I fully expect automakers to play that game however they can, there's not a huge benefit to moving the display up into your field of view from just below it (like a Prius), and there are a number of downsides. And a real HUD, beyond deciding what information to present and how to present it (as you rightly pointed out), is also technically far more complex than slapping a display on glass: "I commented on the original post, but this is a great example of reason #1 why HUDs are still green after 50+ years. Colors are additive with the outside world. There are conditions (sunset/sunrise) where you could get misleading information. Ambers and reds mean specific things. (https://images.app.goo.gl/G5Udbponiu1M1Fnc6 https://images.app.goo.gl/G5Udbponiu1M1Fnc6) "The optics in projecting an image reliably at optical infinity (makes it look like a billboard 500 yards in front of you rather than a TV screen 6 feet from you) are actually quite complicated and tuned to the specific wavelength. Having multiple colors drastically increases the complexity, or reduces the clarity because you have to compromise on the optimal wavelength. "Generally the goal is to be as consistent with the head-down display as possible to limit the head cycles spent context switching, but in the case of colors we have other means of calling attention to important info: boxing and flashing both do a pretty effective job." https://www.reddit.com/r/hudporn/comments/i8fp9m/the_hudset_from_a_737ng/g180c74/ https://www.reddit.com/r/hudporn/comments/i8fp9m/the_hudset_... Anything less than that just risks becoming obscured, with less contrast and similar focal-distance issues than a good instrument cluster. That said, I wouldn't mind something I could stick on the glass of a vintage vehicle up in the corner so I can add instrumentation without modifying the dash. But you're still going to get a much better approach with a windshield-mounted glass combiner, Picture Generating Unit and a projector.

justinclift 6y ago

Also, HUDs for motorbike helmets, general eyewear, and lots more. :)