Augmented Reality comes to BMW

Augmented Reality is the technological concept of superimposing virtual images on top of real ones. In the smart phone world, you would look through your Miami phone's camera lens and where you might only see an unmarked building with your own eyes, augmentation might display a series of hovering virtual signs that list the restaurants or shops within.

BMW plans to do the same, only to apply it to the goal of safer driving. Virtual markings are superimposed on real objects in your driving environment, allow you, for instance, to follow your navigation software by simply traveling along the blue marker superimposed upon the actual road as projected on your smart windshield. This is done so thoroughly that the augmented parts seem truly part of the objects (road, cars, other signs) they are illustrated upon.

"The first scenario shows the possibilities of contact analogue display applications in the field of in-car navigation. Whenever a navigation manoeuvre needs to be performed, such as turning at an intersection, the system presents the information in such a way that it appears to blend with the road itself. The driver can keep his eye on the road throughout, and intuitively drives in the right direction", says BMW.

A second application scenario for contact analogue displays is in the field of driver assistance systems. Here the contact analogue functionality provides the driver with a better understanding of what is going on around him and makes it easier to absorb highly specific instructions. For example if the driver activates Active Cruise Control with collision warning, the system not only shows the driver - in the real-world environment - which vehicle is currently serving as the "lead vehicle", it also shows the preset following distance, superimposed directly onto the road surface. Instructions to the driver to intervene are therefore more easily and more quickly understandable. Other information that could potentially be "projected" in this way includes lane boundaries, lane departure warnings, nighttime highlighting of pedestrians not readily visible to the driver, and even recommendations for evasive manoeuvres into other lanes, complete with marked-out paths", they continue.

Though there has been no official release date, and the technology is still being developed, this is really exciting news. Each day, we seem to come closer and closer to safer travel thanks to stuff like this. It is only a matter of time before we all wind up with robot cars that usher us to our destinations unscathed and effortlessly.