This "head-up display" has been incorporated into Jaguar Land Rover vehicles. This is "another step towards cars which provide a fully immersive experience, or could even improve safety by monitoring driver behavior." It has been an available option for the vehicle since September of 2014.
The HUD technology developed at Cambridge is the first to use laser holographic techniques. Using such techniques have provided drivers with better color, brightness and contrast than other systems. This technology will give the drivers their needed information without them having to take their eyes away from the road.
"We're moving towards a fully immersive driver experience in cars, and we think holographic technology could be a big part of that, by providing important information, or even by encouraging good driver behavior," Professor Daping Chu of the University's Department of Engineering and Chairman of the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics (CAPE) said.
CAPE was established in 2004 with the purpose of enabling Cambridge researchers to work in partnership with industry "to translate science into new technologies and products." The idea of the holographic HUD technology originated with Professor Bill Crossland in 2001. After so, it was then licensed to and developed by CAPE partner company Alps Electric, and then by Two Trees Photonics Ltd at Milton Keynes, in collaboration with researchers at CAPE. Products were designed by Two Trees Photonics and Alps, and manufactured by Alps for Jaguar Land Rover.
This is just the beginning for the HUD technology. It still has a long way to go. "There are three main types of information that we could integrate into future holographic head-up displays in the future," he said. "The first is the type of information that's on today's displays, but potentially we could add other information in a non-intrusive way: for example, if the driver passes a petrol station, perhaps the price of petrol at that station could flash up in the corner - the trick is how to display the most useful information in a way that doesn't distract the driver.
"The next level of information that could be incorporated into holographic HUDs is information about the position of pedestrians, cyclists, kerbs or other vehicles; or whether the driver is on the right track. And if we move into the next level, we start thinking about how we can use this sort of technology to help encourage good driving behavior."
Chu envisions that for holographic HUDs in the future could be used to help avoid accidents by monitoring driver behavior. "Imagine if this technology could be used to give alerts to the driver if they were driving too fast, or getting drowsy, or were over the legal alcohol limit. You could have all of this information with an augmented reality approach - your screen is your world, really. What I want is for the driver to have an immersive experience in how they connect to the world."
