Navigating unknown roads often means looking down at your smartphone, glancing at a device stuck to the windshield or viewing an instrument built into your car's dashboard. But what if you never had to take your eyes off the road to figure out where you needed to go?
That's the idea behind Hudway Glass, an augmented reality heads up display for your car that is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter. Better yet, all you need is a smartphone for it to work. The Hudway Glass works with apps that support HUD mode, meaning all you have to do is place the smartphone in the Hudway Glass cradle with the screen facing up and let the augmented reality tech work its magic.
Your vehicles speed as well as directions to your destination will then appear right on your windshield, no looking down at your phone required. Hudway says the device is designed to eliminate image size, image doubling, glare and and a number of other visual issues that may arise when using a smartphone or GPS for navigation.
"There are 600 million people in the world who get behind the wheel of a car every single day," Hudway writes on its Kickstarter page. "According to the researches, approximately 75% of them get distracted while driving - it could be just drinking coffee, talking to a child in the back seat, reaching for the glove compartment, changing a radio station, and so on... But the worst and most frequent distraction is our phone...
"Automakers are certainly aware of this problem and they are looking for solutions. One of them - head-up displays (HUDs) - can significantly improve the situation. With HUDs, drivers see information they need right on the windshield, which allows them to be totally focused on the road at all times. They no longer need to look away from the road to read dashboard information or check directions on the phone. It allows drivers to focus on the road, keep their hands on the wheel and mind on driving."
The project is seeking $100,000 to make Hudway Glass a reality, but the project has already blown past that goal. It's currently raised more than $360,000 and is working towards various stretch goals. A pledge of $49 or more snags you a Hudway Glass as well as the HUD app for Android and iOS. The device is expected to ship in March of 2016.
