Hey all, Been thinking about this on and off for a while, and was wondering if it would be feasible? : Basically, modify a TomTom or other SatNav, and hook it up to either a single or two Pico projectors for turning left and right denoted by a left arrow on the left hand side of the windscreen and vice versa. I am also wondering what would need to be applied to a windscreen to still allow visibility but also would catch the light? Is the above even possible? I don't even own a car, but I figured it makes a good idea for a project for when I do pick one up if it is indeed possible. You're all a bunch of smart guys, so how about we hash a plan out?
Well, I remember seeing something about some German car or other on Top Gear that projects a HUD onto the windscreen, so yeah, it's possible. You'd probably not have to do too much modding if you just want to project a TomTom screen onto the windscreen, but left/right arrow thing could be harder. Depends if TomTom has any kind of API/plugin support or some kind of hardware interface (I doubt both of these things). But theoretically yes.
Yes it's possible, BMW do it for instruments on some of their cars. If you put a phone on the dashboard it'll reflect off the windscreen (providing the brightness is high enough). I do this with a speed guage app on my iphone (just remember to invert the image). It's called Heads Up Display if you want to google further.
I've used my iphone and apps as a speedo as a Head up display and once saw a TV program that used a small PC and made a head up disply sat nav on the screen. Can be done but no idea on costs
there is a covert that does tacho and speedo onto the windscreen im sure it will eventually come to sat nav on screen http://www.motorspeed.com/store_main.asp?int_product_id=3665 this could be modible http://www.hud-e.com/
You could probably put a patch of gentle window tint stuck to it, that'll massively increase the light reflected.
Unfold that bad-boy on your windshield, ultimate navigation device. In more seriousness, if you're looking strictly at navigation it's a little pointless. Any halfway decent device on the market now does voice commands already. The arrows could be useful if you don't like the voice commands, can't hear them over music, or just think arrows are cooler. The downside is you'll have a lot harder time getting that to work, most navigation systems are pretty proprietary and you'll have a hard time trying to get an output for left and right turns. If you're just looking for something cool to shine on your windscreen go with the speedo/gauge cluster devices linked already.
Er... No? I think you'd be better off just projecting the entire TomTom image on the windscreen. It's much, much simpler, and that way you'll have the entire sci-fi effect of the roadmap overlaid on the actual roads in front of you...
Problem: most satnav's are operated by poking at the touch screen. You cannot do that if you position it to reflect off the screen. And then you have to invert the image. So a home-brew solution is called for. I would (for clarity) suggest a black-and-white image displayed on a gas plasma screen. /me wuvs my built-in satnav on my Honda Civic. It's not HUD, but the way it and the speedo are positioned, it is almost as good.
I wonder if someone will be taking the voice detection level from Siri for voice activated TomTom. Would still like to give this a go when I get free time and finally pass my blooming driving test!
The Corvette/Cadillac/Camaro implementation has a normal nav unit with touch, with just the turn by turn projected on the HUD. IIRC, they also have a coating on the windscreen to help the clarity of the projected HUD. Somewhere, there is a build tread on Camaro5.com of someone retro fitting a HUD into their car using stock parts. Pricey, but well done.
BMW has had this for over a few years, they call it HUD (Head Up Display). In the M5 it was multi color as well, so you could see your rpms rise. Very clever and very easy to see, the information was limited though (turn right, left, straight ahead, speed and rpm's).
Corvette's used it for years now, also Citroen and BMW. I only got a chance to use the citroen system. ummm...not bad, you get used to it very quick (they also show you your speed), but not really the greatest of gains.
The reason it is a bad idea to just have something reflect off the screen is that it takes your attention from the road. Proper HUDs in cars like the Corvette, are focused to be sharp when your eyes are focused at infinity. If you just reflect it off the screen you'll be constantly shifting focus from infinity to a couple of feet away. On proper systems it appears to just hang in the air outside the car... you have to experience it to appreciate... and your view of the road is not impeded.
I was contemplating trying to do something like this in a bike helmet, but (as Odie says above) it would just be too damn distracting. If you make it occupy a tiny amount of your FOV then there's not much point, as it would take as long to squint at it as it would to glance downwards, and if you made it huge it'd obstruct your view and possibly even be illegal. Not sure what the law specifies, if anything, about sticking crap all over your windscreen/visor, but I'm sure the insurance company would use it to dick all over you if you were in an accident.
