Advantages and disadvantages of a “head-up display”
Posted April 13th, 2007 by Alex Ion
Many of you come to Devicepedia.com searching to find out more about head up displays and many of you know that we presented the GlobalTop HUD in February. A car HUD is any transparent display that presents data without obstructing the drivers view. First designed for airplanes there seems to be real interest in the market for them, so I planned to write a small article with advantages and disadvantages.
Head-up Display Advantages
1. Shows you all kind of information that you usually had to look on different dials and can group them all in one place for better functionality. Those HUDs you can see on the market these days, have Bluetooth, GPS and everything that a drive would need to get in time and on the right track to the destination.
2. Data is projected so that they won’t distract the driver’s attention like cellphones or dashboard controls do.
3. Eyes refocus much faster when you switch from the road to the projected display that usually floats 15 feet in front of you
4. Prices are not outrageous as one may think. For a few hundreds you can buy a head-up display that might offer you a safer car.
5. Nowadays HUDs are not really big but they cannot be easily implemented in one’s car with all the controls you need therefore more development is needed.
Head-up Display Disadvantages
1. Such devices will evolve very soon into some kind of portable multimedia that will be able to read your email while driving. Though seeing an email directly on the windshield is safer than using your PDA or your smartphone, it’s still a big distraction.
2. Voice or flashing text could also be distracting for someone driving, because you may want to focus on what the person says or on what the flashing is about.
3. Expect cars to have HUDs installed from 2008 onwards which is at least one year from today. Many of us are anxious to see it running right now, not waiting 1-2 years to get it as a standard on a new car.
4. The optical system that projects your data is complicated and therefore the light efficiency is low. I really wonder how they adjust the HUD projector to be as light in clear sun as when we’re night driving.
These are the things I can see now and if you think something else needs to be added I would be more than happy to edit the article. One last comment is that it looks like older cars (maybe before 2000) have HUDs as a standard, which makes me see that their drivers are experienced with such devices and we could benefit from what they say. - ALEX ION
April 17th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
Yeah so I’m pretty sure that the disadvantages you listed are things that don’t even exist yet. It is similar to saying cars are disadvantages because some day they will fly and we will all crash into skyscrapers and die horrible, fiery deaths. Also, I have two cars which were bought before 2005 and have HUD built in the dash. The lighting is efficient and there is never and problem when going from day to night; direct sunlight never hinders the visuality of the HUD.
April 17th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
HUDs have been availble as options on GM cars such as the Pontiac Grand Prix, since the beginning of the 1990’s. They included a dimmer for increasing/decreasing the brightness.
April 17th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Where can you buy one of those?
April 17th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
You make some good points, I like the article.
Just one counterargument for your last disadvantage. HUD’s have been used in aircraft for a long time for both day and nighttime missions, so the technology already exists.
Additionally, sensors are already used to detect outside light to control automatic headlights and the like. These sensors could be used to control the brightness of the HUD.
April 17th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Of the disadvantages: None of them are disadvantages related to an HUD specifically. In fact, #1 is actually an improvement (hence advantage) over existing tech, #2 is true but not remotely specific to HUDs, #3 .. that we’ll have to wait for a technology .. not a disadvantage, more of an annoyance. And #4 is your random musings. Do some more research or use logic before writing an article.
April 17th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
I have a HUD in my BMW 5 series. It wasn’t something that I would have ordered, but just happened to be an option that was on the car that was available to purchase. I can tell you, that if this is offered in my next car, I will buy it.
The speed is nice, but the real thing is the navigation is shown up on the HUD to tell me when to turn and which street I am looking for. This is where having it in the HUD is better than looking on a screen on the dash.
April 17th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
[…] read more | digg story […]
April 17th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
I’ve had a HUD in my car (’99 Pontiac Grand Prix) for 8 years now. It’s never been annoying and I can never imaging a company putting video or anything blinking in it (other than the blinker indicators). #1 and #2 will never happen.
As for #4, there is a light sensor in my HUD easily makes my HUD brighter in daylight and dims it in lower light conditions. Such sensors have been around for ages (10 of them costs like $2 at Radio Shack).
The only problem I’ve ever had was actually with this light sensor (the display was constantly dim), but it was manufacturing problem (not properly soldered) and easily fixed by myself. Otherwise, the HUD in my car has been nothing less than awesome.
April 17th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Some cars have had HUDs for several years. The Corvette, for example.
April 17th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
My latest car has a head up display. It’s great.
Primary display is speed, but the navigation system also shows the distance to the next turn, direction of the turn and name of the street starting about 1/2 mile before the turn.
It also briefly shows what station or track you have tuned your entertainment system to.
There are three options for different versions of the display, depending of driver preferences and type of driving, including a g-meter
I don’t know how they handle brightness of the image, but I rarely need to manually adjust the brightness.
The image is projected low enough that the hood of the car is the background, so there is no blocking of any useful drivers view.
April 17th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
Hud’s have been around since at least 1998. I have a ‘98 Grand Prix with a factory installed HUD. It’s fairly basic, it shows speed at all times, but also displays the radio station or cd track when changing tracks or station, as well as low fuel warning and turn signal indicators. You can adjust it up or down to fit your height, and adjust the brightness or turn it off if it annoys you. It can be hard to read in full daylight, but 90% of the time it’s visible. Personally, after having one for 3 years, I’ve grown use to it, and would pay extra for that feature on any car. And I hear some of the new cars that have it, such at the Corvette and BMW have an improved multi-color display, and include a tach guage too.
April 17th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
One more thing…..A HUD is one of those things that sounds like a frivolity, but after using one for several months, I find it annoying to have to look away from the road in other cars to read the nav system, instruments, see what radio station I have selected, etc.
April 17th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Most HUD’s have a special piece of glass in the windshield above the HUD unit for daytime visibility. Just an FYI
April 17th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
[…] read more | digg story […]
April 17th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
Evaluation of Stated Disadvantages:
1. while further data inclusion in HMD would be possible the distractionary effect would certainly lead to a limitation on allowed display while vehicle is in motion as is already the growing case and concern with navigation systems and media systems manufactured for vehicles today.
2. Voice is of littlle concern. We already listen to passengers and radio…not to mention cellphones. As for your flashing lights, any system designer worth his salt would obviously place any alerts in a position on the windscreen appropriate for its priority. ie fuel low would not be a flashing gas can in the middle of your plane of view. It would be low and discrete. Collision Avoidance systems projecting alerts in the center of the visual plane would make sense as that is PRIORITY data.
3. No argument. it will be a year or two before its a standard option but there are a growing number of aftermarket projects and products in development and thats to say nothing of the custom market.
4. The optics and brightness control of most systems are incredibly simple. Not much more advanced then a short throw projector with either a variable intensity light source or more commonly a lightgate shutter.
April 17th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
HUDs have been operating in Fighters and other aircraft for 40 years. Plus, were is Cadies years ago with the IR senor for night driving. Today’s HUDs have no problem being seen in the daylight and the user can change the light color to best suit their needs.
April 17th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Disadvantage 4 is not a problem. In bright light, you don’t need to project at all… you just need contrast.
Witness the “poor man’s” HUD
I use it all the time, and it works great in bright sunlight, as well as at night.
April 17th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Here’s the hyperlink for above:
http://www.sevenseek.com/collegev2/?p=128
April 17th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
[…] Advantages and disadvantages of a “head-up display” Filed under: Uncategorized — recar @ 4:19 pm Advantages and disadvantages of a “head-up display” A very interesting article about thumbs up and thumbs down in regard of the head-up display technology that seems to get more and more interest nowadays.[gadgets] [news] [technology] […]
April 17th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
I seriously doubt they will become a medium for reading email. No manufacturer would make that for fear of being sued into oblivion.
What does voice have to do with HUDs? You don’t have to look at the HUD to hear the voice….
If you want it now, go buy a car that has it standard. To call it a disadvantage of a HUD merely because they aren’t common is silly.
I can only speak of my experience in my 07 Corvette, but the HUD optic quality is great and I can easily adjust the intensity. I have no problem with night driving or driving with the sun directly hitting the HUD.
April 17th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
The list of cons aren’t real cons for the most part. Waiting a year is better than waiting for 5 years for a number of other products. I’m sure the idea to make it more like a multimedia device may be tempting, but it’s not there, and may not go there because of the obvious distraction it would be.
I’ve always wanted to see the HUD in cars ever since I’ve seen an example of one in a Volvo on TV. They are a great idea, and the benefits are definitely great. I think the Toyota Prius and some of the Hondas with their placement of the speedomator being so far forward is as close as we can get right now for some of the advantages it offers.
April 18th, 2007 at 4:04 am
Interesting article, however, I have to agree with many of the posts that question your disadvantages. 1. and 2. make sense, but 3.and 4.don’t.
There is a motorcycle HUD available for the past few years at http://www.sportvue.com. Users love it as they don’t have to look down at the guages.
April 18th, 2007 at 8:06 am
To answer all the guys that considered we proposed bad disadvantages I would like to say just one thing:
on number 3. I am not talking about a few cars that already had it for 10 years now. I am talking about mass production, because HUDs will be mass produced from 2008.
About number 4. many said we don’t know how the technology works and stuff like that. I myself am driving a Citroen C4 coupe and it has some kind of a console in the middle that changes color during the night or in clear sun. When I added number 4. I thought that if not well developed this may be a disadvantage. Maybe I didn’t make myself understood very well.
As it regards all the advantages and disadvantages trust me the article was very well researched and used material related to HUDs not just some thoughts and what the author heard from someone else!
April 18th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
I have used the one in the 5 series BMW, the Z06 Corvette and the aftermarket SportVue motorcycle HUD. After such uses, I’m a believer in the HUD functionality especially for moving vehicles. For motorcycles, the use for HUD is even more compelling. Although I doubt that more vehicles will have it in 2008 and beyond, I think HUDs would be more ubiquitous down the road (no pun intended).
January 28th, 2008 at 6:15 am
I was a little disappointed at the 2008 car show. There is no longer a Grand Prix and very few cars have a heads up display. The high end caddies had the heads up and I did not see any other America or German cars with it available. Or at least, cars that have enough leg room for a 6′ 8″ driver.