Virtual Visor gives the driver a “mask” for their eyes whenever sunlight or glare hits their eyes. (Image Credit: Bosch)
I always found CES to be inspiring. This is one of those technologies...
Sunlight may obstruct a driver’s vision during the day, which can lead to major distractions that result in a car accident. There are traditional sun visors in cars that partially blocks the sun but still isn’t adequate enough because at the same time, part of the driver’s vision is hindered. To help combat this, Bosch, a German-based company, has developed Virtual Visor, a transparent LCD screen that uses AI to block out sunlight and glare without affecting forward visibility. The company will be showcasing its visor at CES 2020 in Las Vegas.
The Virtual Visor mounts in front of the driver in place of the panel they currently use to keep sunlight and glare away from the front. It’s more than just an LCD screen. It can link with the driver and uses a camera with AI detection and tracking software to find and analyze the driver’s face, identify the shadows on it, and darkens the section of the display through which sunlight emerges on the driver’s eyes, leaving the remainder of the visor transparent.
Bosch predicts their latest product will help boost a vehicle’s level of safety, especially when the sun has a bigger impact on drivers, during sunrise and sunset. Their investigations conclude that the sunlight or glare in the driver’s eyes caused nearly twice as many accidents as any weather-related condition. The Bosch team working on the Virtual Visor project discovered that drivers would adjust their visors to block out the sun, casting a shadow across their eyes.
Bosch isn’t the only company looking to make changes on day-to-day vehicles, improving the driver’s experience. Tesla has developed a laser system to clean debris and dirt off a vehicle’s windshield, replacing windshield wipers. The patent is available online to the public. The lasers beam out pulses of light that zaps and/or burns up debris on the surface of a windshield. At first, debris or dirt is detected by cameras that also collect data on the type and scale of dirt that needs to be cleaned off. After the data is collected, it would inform the lasers how strong its pulses should be. Tesla also says the system could be used to automatically clean off debris that blocks the view of Autopilot cameras around the vehicle. The patent also states that the system may be installed as a modular device in a vehicle.
The Virtual Visor is still undergoing tests, but Bosch says they have discussed plans with manufacturing partners to be placed in vehicles sometime in the future.
Have a story tip? Message me at: cabe(at)element14(dot)com
Top Comments