Augmented Driving

Imagine this situation: you're driving along the interstate at a decent clip when all of a sudden the skies open up, brake lights glow bright red, traffic slows rapidly, and your GPS just spouted off some inaudible set of directions.  Your reaction to this is probably a stab at the brakes, a flick of the wiper stalk, and maybe a couple of downshifts.  Now, what about that set of directions?  Looking over at the 3.5" Garmin that's 3.5 feet away will only take a split second but that traffic is getting close pretty quick...

In a few years, all that will be a non-issue with Making Virtual Solid's True3D heads up display (HUD) for GPS.  Their new HUD acts much like augmented reality applications that are widely available on iPhone and Android devices.  By exploiting parameters that the GPS unit already uses, the system can overlay pertinent information directly onto what you see out your windshield.  If you've played the racing game Forza, this type of interface will be instantly familiar like the racing line in the game.  While this HUD will make travel easier and maybe even save some fuel by avoiding the need to backtrack after missing a turn, it will most importantly make driving safer.