It’s only a concept for now but Land Rover is busy developing an augmented reality (AR) technology for their vehicles that will all drivers to effectively see through their bonnets to the ground underneath – which would be handy for knowing where you’re about to put your tyres. They mean that literally, if the released concept images – one of which you can see above – are any indication.
The system, which is known as the Transparent Bonnet, will use cameras mounted in the vehicle’s grille that will transmit ground surface information to a Heads-Up Display (HUD) that will effectively render the bonnet “invisible” aside from the position of the tyres. This could allow for avoiding holes in a road surface or just preventing drivers from bumping cars at the front or side while parking due to shoddy wheel placement.
Dr Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology for Jaguar Land Rover, said in a press release “As our vehicles become more capable and autonomous off-road, we will ensure the driver has the confidence to allow the car to continue to progress, over any terrain. We are developing new technologies including the Transparent Bonnet to give drivers an augmented view of reality to help them tackle anything from the toughest off-road route to the tight confines of an urban car park.”
The company will be showing off their Discovery Vision Concept car next week at the New York International Auto Show, where the Transparent Bonnet will be only of the technologies on display.