PH Origins: Head-up displays
Discover the 'world firsts' that weren't, and which technology is a lot older than it appears, in our new series - starting with HUDs
The difference can be invaluable. One American study revealed that if a driver's eyes wander off the road for more than two seconds then the chance of an incident doubles. Two seconds might not sound like much but, at 70mph, you'll have travelled over 200 feet - about the length of 14 cars. So, by enabling the driver to remain focused on the road, a HUD neatly helps counter this issue.
HUDs were first developed, like the origin of much automotive technology, for aircraft. In the early 1940s, engineers began projecting extra information, like radar images, onto the windscreen of night fighters - and the concept swiftly progressed to include the likes of artificial horizons and bomb aiming markers.
As the hardware advanced, it caught the attention of General Motors. Consequently, early design renders for its 1965 Mako Shark II concept - with its aircraft-themed interior - reputedly featured a HUD. The idea remained on the drawing board, however, until a prototype was tested in 1968. The XP-856 Aero Coupe concept, displayed in 1969, also featured a HUD. Complexity and cost, presumably, prevented the idea progressing any further.
Having merged Hughes with its established Delco Electronics arm, GM ordered that the newly formed Hughes Electronics Corporation develop a HUD for the upcoming fifth-generation Cutlass Supreme. It was to feature a new front-wheel-drive platform and modern engine options, and a HUD would be the technological icing on the cake.
Finally, in May 1988, the first production HUD was unveiled in the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Convertible Indy 500 Pace Car, 50 of which were offered to selected customers. The system was then made available as an option elsewhere.
GM just beat Nissan to the punch, too; Nissan had finished developing its first HUD in December 1987 but it didn't appear on the Maxima and 240SX options list until late 1988. Toyota soon joined the party, unveiling its HUD-equipped Crown Majesta in 1991.
HUDs aren't restricted to the realm of flagship models these days, mind, as the technology has trickled down through many manufacturers' model ranges. Okay, so some of the chintzy pop-up plastic ones aren't quite as technologically gratifying, but the benefits are the same.
Got an older car? Well, you need not feel left out - as there are several aftermarket and app-based solutions, many of which work well. Great, speaking from experience, for when your speedometer takes an unexpected leave of absence.
Lewis Kingston
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The new g series cars have an even better one. Rarely do i look at the standard instruments there simply is no need speed, nav if being used is all displayed.
The biggest issue currently is the restrictive ability to integrate heated windscreens with HUD as the two seem incompatible.
There's an interesting review with photos of OEM HUD offerings here.
On the OEM side, the early forays by General Motors have paid dividends for consumers, as GM is now many iterations into the technology. What began as a single data point (your speed) with rudimentary turn indicators in an eight-bit blue-green font has evolved into a high-definition and multi-page user-controlled interface with multi-coloured icons, navigation, hands-free phone support, music and radio support, track day data, etc. You can roll with it feature rich, part-time feature rich, spartan or simply turned off.
Utility of course has its limits and I was a bit curious to see what consumers and regulators will say since some solutions are now integrating SMS and voice-activated SMS composition (among other mind-intensive tasks). I appreciate the genius of it all, but I'm not sure I want all those cars jostling for position on the motorway to be simultaneously on some sort of "Minority Report" version of Facebook.
Corvette has offered HUD for 20 years and, like other HUD users in this thread, it's one of the features that I rank highly on my car. One day there will be another car. Will that also have HUD? Does HUD truly matter to me? I dunno. But I have to say: One's brain welcomes the ease of HUD benefits -- the data and indications become extensions of your mind / user experience.
One recurring and sometimes amusing moment: When occasionally getting behind the wheel of a non-HUD car, I experience that slight mental stumble, when the brain realises, "Hey, who stole all the info?!"
GM has offered HUD on some Opel / Vauxhall saloons (prior to the company sale to PSA). Today, it's also on various models from Buick, Cadillac, the Camaro, as well as SUVs from Chevrolet and GMC. I like the idea that such utility has been made viable on mass market products (and not simply to the elite).
Standard-fit in 2005 on the Citroen C6.
In my personal setup, the HUD appears (to the driver) to be hovering about an inch or two above the bonnet, only an inch in front of the car. No road surface or other cars are obscured.
If a driver feels that a HUD setup is blocking his view or wresting control of the experience, he's doing it wrong. Millions of units are on the road now for decades.
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