I saw a story in Wired’s Autopia about General Motors’ latest advances in designing heads up displays (HUD) for the automobile.  The idea isn’t new (they’ve been on it for 22 years and aren’t alone) and is still just waiting for its time to come.  The technology is all basically there, it’s a matter of ergonomics and social acceptance.

The story really caught my eye, though, not because it showcases new tech, which it sort of does (the tech isn’t new, per se), but because it reminded me of my own thoughts on the dashboard of the future.  I articulated those thoughts in a whimsical piece for Zoomilife back in October.

In The EV Dashboard of the Future, According to Me, I waxed on about the HUD as the way to go for the dash tech of tomorrow.  I then took the bold step of making the prediction that at least two years after my own death, the dashboard I had predicted to be the future of transport technology would be forthcoming.

What General Motors is working on is similar, but cooler.  They’re integrating some interesting tech that involves infrared cameras (for night and fog vision), lasers that (pew peww!) see recognizeable objects and markers such as road stripes and traffic signs, and more.  Plus, of course, it’s all integrated into a windshield HUD, removing the requirement for the driver to look away from the road for information and eliminating the mental step of visualizing spacial information from a 2D display to life.

Very cool stuff, indeed.  Plus, the guy who talks about it with Wired uses a lot of fighter plane lingo.  Which makes it even cooler.

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