Augmented Reality on the Commute to Work?

If you are bored of the view out of your car windscreen on the daily commute then there is some good news on the way for you. Maybe.

It seems that some of the biggest car firms like Toyota, BMW and Mercedes are keen to turn our windscreens into big computer displays with an augmented reality element to them.

We already know that only bad boys and girls use their phone while they are driving so what should we make of the fact that we could now be sitting looking at all sorts of details in front of our noses?

Over the Limit Again?

Well, part of the stuff which has been suggested seems like common sense for a driver. For example, the directions for where you want to go to might be quite nice to have and if it brings up a warning when we accidentally slip over the speed limit then that probably deserves a big cheer. However, we aren’t so sure about the need for social media feeds to pop up on our windscreen.

Professor Anind Dey works in a place called the Human Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and he says that the “ability to enhance information” which we might not otherwise get to see is invaluable.

If you already use an augmented reality app on your smart phone then you know what it is all about.  If you don’t then the Mercedes Dice concept from earlier in the year was a good example of how you could point at places as you glide past them and get details on them. Your social network buddies who drive near you show up on your screen as well. A potentially more useful detail on a GM model shows you where the edge of the road is when you get stuck in a pea souper.