X-Ray Vision While You Drive - Progressive Auto Insurance Articles & BlogsX-Ray Vision While You Drive
Automakers and researchers are developing technology — in some cases future technology, to help eliminate blind spots.
One of the most interesting approaches, still in the experimental stage, renders a vehicle's frame transparent — allowing drivers to "see" through a car's pillars and dashboard.
The technology, dubbed the transparent cockpit, was developed at the University of Tokyo in an effort led by electrical engineer Susumu Tachi.
In prototype systems, the technology uses a pair of stereo cameras mounted on the passenger-side mirror to scan the landscape and objects that are normally hidden from the driver's view by the dashboard and the solid parts of doors. The driver wears a headset that projects the cameras' output onto the interior frame. To make the illusion work, the solid parts of the car are coated with a reflective material. The result: The driver sees the items on the outside of the car as if the car's body were transparent.
Previously, Tachi demonstrated the technology in what has become known as the 'invisibility cloaking' of a raincoat. In that demonstration, images from behind a person were projected onto a raincoat, making the raincoat appear transparent.
Transparent Cockpit Technology
In this experimental technology, outside-mounted cameras allow drivers to see "through" the dashboard and door of a car.
When applied to a vehicle, this technology is quite impressive. It looks as though the driver has x-ray vision and can see through the metal and body panels of a car. This allows drivers to see a passing bicyclist or pedestrian, better judge how close they are to a curb, and improve the chances of seeing a trailing car when changing lanes.
Unfortunately, the transparent cockpit technology is still in the early proof-of-concept stage. Industry experts believe its development might be aided because it has applications in other areas, such as aviation and trucking. Interest by these other industries might help spur development in passenger cars.
A More Immediate Fix
For those who can't wait for the transparent cockpit to come to market, there are more practical alternatives for eliminating blind spots. These include:
Special side mirrors – Many automakers and third parties now offer special side mirrors that help eliminate blind spots. Some simply use a second, convex mirror in the corner of the traditional driver-side mirror. This basically gives the driver two views, where the "extra" view includes a wider angle to help see cars and other objects next to a car. This type of dual mirror is gaining popularity. For example, last year, Ford has made a special Blind Spot Mirror available on some 2009 models. It plans to make the mirror standard equipment on many Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln cars in the future.
LaneFX technology – A more sophisticated approach incorporates LaneFX technology. Typically offered through aftermarket vendors, cars equipped with LaneFX technology sweep the mirror when the driver signals a lane change. The motion of the mirror provides a broader view of passing and trailing cars.
Dash-mounted displays – Going a step further, some manufacturers, such as Mercedes-Benz, use dash-mounted displays with optional audio tones to signal the proximity of a car in either rear quarter. The solution uses short-range radar in both sides of the rear bumper to monitor areas alongside and behind a car.
Cameras – A number of automakers are adding optional cameras that give drivers a view of blind spots—particularly of objects directly behind the car. The images are typically displayed on a video monitor in the dashboard or behind the driver's sun visor.
Radar systems – At the higher end of the technology spectrum, Buick offers a radar-based system with warning lights mounted in each of the outside mirrors, so when you check your mirrors, you'll know whether it's safe to change lanes.
Infrared detection systems – To aid drivers at night, infrared detection systems are being included as an option on some trucks and in a number of car models from Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and others. These systems typically look ahead of the vehicle and project images of cars, animals, trees and other objects onto dashboard video display systems.
Although it might be years (if ever) before transparent cockpit technology moves beyond the demonstration stage, automakers are incorporating other technologies to help improve a driver's view and avoid blind spots.