Knight Rider’s car, the high-tech and probably more popular than David Hasselhoff himself, the K.I.T.T could do everything other than turning invisible. Batman’s cars, the recent Tumbler included, could fire missiles and locate enemies but couldn’t turn invisible either. The closest cars could get to turning invisible was James Bond’s Aston Martin in Die Another Day, but that was as far from reality as James Bond is. But what if we told you that cars can turn invisible now? Thanks to Land Rover’s new Invisible Car Technology, it is now a possibility. Well, almost. Also Read - LEGO built a drivable replica of Bugatti Chiron using LEGO Technic parts
The system enables the driver to see the part of terrain that gets hidden by the bonnet. This means that apart from what you are used to see from the driver’s seat, a heads up display (on the windscreen) will extend the perspective to show the terrain hidden under the bonnet, using augmented reality, hence making the whole front-end of the vehicle appear see-through. This is possible by using the feed from the cameras mounted on the front of the SUV and displaying it on the windscreen. Also Read - Nissan launches Terrano Sport at Rs 12.22 lakh
The presence of cameras on automobiles is nothing new, and using a display to show what lies ahead has been used in night-vision cameras before, but displaying all that on windscreen is certainly a huge step. It won’t just make it easy for users to tackle difficult off-roading conditions, where it’s imperative to know what the front wheels are doing, but also help while parking the vehicle in tight spaces. Also Read - Alibaba confirms working on driverless technology
The Transparent Bonnet will be displayed on the Discovery Vision Concept car at the 2014 New York International Auto Show on the 16th of the month, but it remains to be seen when Land Rover puts this wonderful piece of technology to production.
Witness what could probably be the best automotive use of augmented reality till date:
While in the hands of James Bond:
