Is It Finally Time For Head-Up Displays In Cars?

A head-up display – also known as an HUD – is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view information with the head positioned “up” and looking forward, instead of angled down looking at lower instruments. Although they were initially developed for military aviation, HUDs are now used in commercial aircraft, automobiles, computer gaming, and other applications.

Although HUD has been equipped in millions of cars in America, the debate of distracting or not distracting when the drivers using HUDs has been around for two decades. In Europe, BMW has developed vision cameras that can even read temporary or permanent road signs, as well as overhead signs. The German Automaker claimed that it allows drivers to process the car up to 50% faster and keep his/her attention where it belongs – on the road. More importantly, the BMW Head-Up Display can also show other contents such as navigation instructions or speed limit info.

Want to know more about Head-up Display? Here is the very interesting talk of Brian Cooley, Editor at large, in which he gives out many good pieces of advice for choosing and using HUDs in your cars.

Do you have HUD in your car already? Or are you interested in equipping HUD in your car? Share your comments with us.