New Advances in Windshield Technology

windshield1Heads-up displays (HUDs) have been utilized in varying types of aircraft since the 1940s; now they are being increasingly used in new vehicles, providing added services for Houston auto glass companies to be able to repair and replace these new windshields.

This technology was added to airplanes in the midst of World War II to help pilots keep their focus straight ahead as opposed to looking down and losing a split second that could end up being the difference between avoiding danger or being shot down. HUDs started making an appearance in luxury and sport cars in the 1980s with significant improvements being made over the last few years.

Jaguar Land Rover has made some of the most notable advancements in windshield technology over the last several months. Many of these will be initially available with the company’s Range Rover Evoque before being added to other models over the coming months and years. Murray Dietsch, the company’s programs director, said that these advancements exemplify the “vision of the intelligent car of the future.”

Important information such as the speed at which the vehicle is traveling, the gear that has been selected, vehicle warning notifications and cruise control settings are projected onto the windshield.

Some of the more advanced information that could be placed here includes useful suggestions that will help drivers navigate dense traffic that is coming up on the roadway. A virtual windscreen would also highlight possible obstacles that are ahead such as other cars and pedestrians.

Other images that could be placed on the HUD include those from rear view mirrors. These would need to be three-dimensional, however, as distance cannot be accurately conveyed with a two-dimensional rendering.

Gesture-control technology may become commonplace as well. For example, a driver could start the windshield wipers during a rainstorm by simply making a wiper-like motion near the windshield instead of reaching down, feeling for the switch and turning them on.

One other advancement that SUV drivers will be especially interested in is the transparent bonnet, which displays the area directly underneath the headlights onto the HUD. In essence, this will allow the driver to see directly in-front of the front bumper and determine where dangerous rocks and other obstacles are located and navigate over or around them accordingly.

The purpose behind these HUDs is to keep the driver’s eyes on the road and away from the dashboard. In other words, having this type of information on the windshield will allow the driver to be less distracted than would be case if he or she needed to look down to the dashboard to ensure that the speed of the car is not too fast or slow, enough gas is in the tank and so on.

Of course, Jaguar Land Rover and other companies will need to ensure that just the right amount of information is being displayed on the windshield as too many distractions there would be counterproductive to the purpose behind having information on the windshield in the first place. For example, what may be fitting for a performance driver such as racing lines, virtual cones, ghost car racing and braking guidance, for example – may not be appropriate for drivers simply traveling to the store or work.

At Apple Glass, we perform Houston windshield repair and Houston windshield replacement for these and other types of windshields. Give us a call today, and we will make sure that your car is taken care of. To ensure that the process is as stress-free as possible, we offer you the opportunity to either bring your car to one of our two locations – in Houston and The Woodlands – or take advantage of our mobile auto glass repair services by having us come to your home or office to fix or replace your windshield.

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