Heads-Up displays the future for all cars – CES

Sometimes a technology takes a while to ‘take off’, especially when it is something that requires a change of habits for people.  This week I drove a Chevrolet  Camaro SS which has in it a heads-up display as standard. But it’s what I saw after my drive which convinced me this was coming for all.

Here at the CES cars feature prominently with innovations in engine management, sound systems and a whole range of new and existing ideas.  So when I saw that one of the ideas on display was the very technology I myself had used just days earlier and enjoyed – I was almost convinced this was here to stay and would become standard for all.

Pioneer and JVC/KENWOOD both displayed what looked to be after market solutions.  The JVC/KENWOOD style used the windscreen as the display, while the Pioneer screen was a new device – likely mounted where your sun-visor is now.

This is really exciting stuff – most of us will have seen it in movies or similar, or you might have used one already – either way, it’s likely to be a much bigger part of your life soon.

The other big advance on what we know now as a heads-up came from Audi and Mercedes who have taken things to the extreme by demonstrating a windscreen heads-up display which is manipulated with gesture control, so instead of pressing buttons on the screen you are using hand gestures to change menus, scroll through and more.

I’ve been known to make some gestures in the car, but this is taking it to the extreme. Don’t know about the hands off the wheel component either.

It’s all very interesting, but the simple thing I’ve taken out of my driving experience here this week is that a speed display projected onto the windscreen just below line of sight to the road can mean you focus more on the road – that’s got to be a good thing?

Trevor Long travelled to CES as a guest of Intel