Some of you good folk may know that fighter planes have been using head up displays for decades.
This is a system which projects vital instrument readings onto a display in the pilot's straight ahead, through the canopy, line of sight. Thus allowing the pilot to read his instruments with his 'head up' with the obvious benefit that he does not drop his eyes away from the important stuff going on in the real World outside the canopy.
I would have thought these benefits would translate well into the motoring arena and have thus been wondering if this has ever been tried with cars, why is it not commonplace now? Any thoughts, info from the cognoscenti out there?
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I have seen systems demonstrated by the major manufacturers, Ford were playing with this I know, and my memory seems to think
that at least one modern yank car has it, but I could be wrong.
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Head up display is apparently an option on the new BMW 5 Series.
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Can see the benefit in a Mach 2 jet, but in a car?
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I've an idea this has certainly been trialled by Cadillac, possibly been put on sale in the US. Seem to think it has its uses as a speed/distance indicator, though again I'm annoyingly unsure. In the same vein, they've also looked at night vision capability.
HUD in military planes isn't just about being able to watch the world outside; it's about targeting too. Can think of a few situations where that might be useful on road...
There's the flipside to this, of course. I love Saab's night panel switch, which reduces the distractions from instruments at night by killing the lighting in everything bar the speedo, I think. If anything reaches a critical level (fuel, temp etc) they come back on.
Most useful crossover from military aviation to road transport would, of course, be vertical take-off/landing ;)
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Yup spot on MO, its available as an option on cadillac seville.
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>HUD in military planes isn't just about being able to watch the world outside; it's about targeting too. Can think of a few situations where that might be useful on road...<
Ah well you got me sussed! I'm just trying to sort out the aiming system for my new top end 'road rage' kit...quadruple half inch Browning machine guns fitted onto the roof rack of my Micra and I thought a 'Head up display' was the way to go....we can but fantasise?
....Jesting aside, I would have thought it would be quite cheap to producse and would make a good deal of sense. There may be an issue of distraction - but I wouldn't have have thought this would be as much of an issue in a car as in a Tornado.
For older drivers having difficulty adjusting focus quickly between up close instruments and stuff afar there could be benefits in having a system where your instruments appear in focus through the screen at infinity.
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This forum is full of criticism of other drivers and their idiosyncracies ranging from inattention to dangerous behaviour. I don't think HUD stuff will be any use to any ordinary driver. It's highly unlikely to be seen as anything other than a distraction, given the difference in training between a fighter pilot and yer average motorist. It might be some use to those who are actually interested in their driving, a tiny minority. The trend for car manufacturers has been to give the driver less information and hope that more nanny electronics will dig the poor unfortunates out of whatever hole they have happen to have drifted into.
Ask yourself "Will such a feature help to sell cars?" Nope.
"Will a combined electronic sock-warmer and back-seat vomit mopper-upper sell cars?" It might.
Outlook - hopeless.
Signed,
Depressed of North Yorkshire
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This forum is full of criticism of other drivers and their Outlook - hopeless. Signed, Depressed of North Yorkshire
Should you not change your handle to Frazer? \"Were dooomed Captain Mainwaring - dooomed you hear\"
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How long does it take to glance from straight ahead to where your speedo is and back up again - that's right, no time at all. It's a gimmick designed to appeal to goons with bluetooth headsets who probably murmur things like "lock and load" to themselves when they get behind the wheel. Probably also a dangerous distraction to someone who borrows the car and can't work out how to switch the thing off.
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>How long does it take to glance from straight ahead to where your speedo is and back up again - that's right, no time at all<
Nsar
No it does take some time, not long granted, but it's quite significant.
One scenario - if on the motorway you glance down at your instruments just as the geezer in front slams on the anchors that time will for sure add a goodly chunk into you're breaking reaction time. This has happened to me a goodly number of times. Granted the problem was covered by the buffer provided by the 2 second rule which I work with, but it does cause a strong squirt of adrenalin.
A similar dismissive attitude could have been taken about ABS, disc brakes, electric windows, remote keys, electronic engine management and much else besides.
If everyone rubbished any ergonomic improvements, we'd still all be driving Morris Oxfords, Standard Tens and Land Rovers.
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"Granted the problem was covered" so not a problem then.
I'm dismissive of gimmicks, not of bona fide advances such as ABS, disc brakes, better headlights, tyres, ergonomics, you name it I'm for it - providing it is demonstrably better/safer/more economic etc than what went before, which head-up displays aren't.
I like the idea of the vomit cleaner-upper though
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Sorry to "throw water" on your fire but I can see how both sides of your argument might be true but I'd like to try it for a week or so. Perhaps I'll book a test drive on a new HUD-optioned 5-series.
I don't think you'll REALLY know either way until you've tried it for a while.
Rojer
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I have been cought out by cars slamming on their brakes whilst I've glanced down (usually the CD player, sorry!).
But I can also see how it might prove distractive.
Rojer 'Middle of The Road' Of North Yorkshire
rojer@lycos.co.uk
Astra, Renault 18, Renault 25 TXi, Astra Est, Passat Est, Mercedes 190E, Mercedes
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I've also been caught out by looking in the rear view mirror. I glanced up and then back to the road in front just in time to run into the back of a Ford Escort. Ooops.
I don't think HUD would have stopped that, but it might one day replace the conventional speedo.
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Wally
>I've also been caught out by looking in the rear view mirror.<
I suspect that it might, a little camera at the rear of the car facing back. Image projecting at eyeline on HUD. Great for parking too!
I'm actually thinking of fitting a camera to the rear of my lifted Land Cruiser 100 Series when I upgrade the GPS display. The view out the back is a bit iffy at the best of times, it's so high and partly obscured by the spare wheel. When fully loaded you can't see out the back.
I've seen a rear facing camera on a fitted for Safari Mercedes Unimog.
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I had a '92 Nissan Bluebird(Japanese homemarket model)and that had a display projected onto the windscreen that showed speed and revs.
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