British marquee Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has revealed the ‘Virtual Windscreen Concept’ that might just be the next big crossover between the virtual world and reality. While the past two decades have been about bringing reality to gaming onto your TV and PC screens, the virtual windscreen technology gives you a virtual game like feel in reality on the road or track. The new concept uses high-quality virtual imaging technology to display information like hazard, speed and navigation icons which are projected onto the windscreen, so that the drivers need not pull their eyes off the road.
For performance drivers, the perks go even higher as the virtual windscreen technology aids driving by displaying the optimum racing lines on the track with changes in colour to provide braking guidance. The ghost car racing mode allows drivers to improve lap times by competing with your earlier lap records with virtual 3D image of the car’s position or the virtual image of a lap record uploaded by another driver.
The virtual windscreen concept also allows you to improve your skills with virtual cones and other obstacles that can be laid out on the track for driver training and can be moved based on the ability of the driver. Jaguar states that the new technology helps by providing the highest quality imagery possible, so that the driver need not look at the display even once and is not distracted from the road. The imagery will enable better decision making that will benefit the driver on the road as well as the race track.
Apart from virtual windscreen, Jaguar is working on a new gesture control system that allows drivers to activate any features at the effort of a hand gesture, instead of searching for or feeling buttons leading to distraction. The new gesture control system uses E-Field sensing based on the capacitive discharge touch screens and allows a sensing field within a range of 15 cms from the motion sensors. The company is currently testing this technology to control systems like sun-blinds, rear wipers and satellite navigation, which would otherwise be operated by buttons.
JLR is planning to further personalise the driving experience with the help of artificial intelligence techniques. The self learning technology will minimize distractions, which are usually caused when the driver looks away from the road for adjusting mirrors; changing music, temperature or seat functions that otherwise need to be manually controlled. The algorithm would recognise the driver based on his smartphone and will automatically adjust the cabin and car as per his preferences. The automaker is also working on a 3D instrument cluster that could replace rear view and ORVMs with cameras and virtual displays.
As enticing as all the new concepts and technologies sound, Jaguar has not revealed the timeline for the inclusion of them in its vehicles. However, the company did suggest that the gesture control system could find application sooner by the end of this decade. JLR had earlier this year showcased the transparent bonnet technology on the Discovery Vision concept. Do check out the videogame like virtual windscreen concept in action below.
[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeK9IkSD_nI 540 375]