What to expect in the coming years? Why and how will your car become smart? In what direction will it develop automotive industry? What technologies are already available and what are waiting for you?
A lot of things can change in just one decade. For example every 5 years computer equipment is very outdated. True, we are still far from technology like in the Star Wars movie.
Let's start. For example, if you are reading this text, then you have access to the Internet. And if you go back, for example, in 1995, the Internet was available to a very small circle of people, however, like a computer. But since then things have changed dramatically. Now you can access the Internet with phone, player, choose a provider that is more suitable for your needs and financial capabilities, and so on.
It's the same with cars, where even the Chinese have managed to introduce the new Android system into their car. By the way, earlier to meet such a number of airbags in a variety of options ( lateral, protecting the knees etc.) was impossible on any machine.
Electric cars could only be found on the golf courses. Cars are also changing, and the rate of adoption of new technologies will only increase every year.
Internet and car?
OnStar
It is possible to slow down transport remotely, preventing the hijackers from escaping from the police while chasing. Now appeared new opportunity, which will help you recover stolen cars in hours, if not minutes.
The new technology is called Remote Ignition Block ( remote ignition lock). The OnStar operator has the ability to send a signal to the computer in the stolen car that will cause the ignition system to lock out and prevent it from restarting.
"This feature will not only help the authorities recover stolen cars, but also prevent dangerous car chases."
Holographic Information Displays
Similar systems can be seen at or. The bottom line is to display information directly on the windshield. Now there are operating models that can display information about speed, direction of movement, and more. And in the near future we will be able to navigate the road without even seeing it. For example, General Motors has already taken the first steps in this direction.
Now General Motors, in collaboration with a number of universities, has begun to develop the so-called "smart glass". GM hopes to turn the glass into a transparent display that can display information such as road markings, road signs, or various objects such as pedestrians, which in fog or rain can be very problematic to recognize on the road.
Part of this technology was shown at Light Car, where with the help of LED technology, the car uses a transparent tailgate as a projection screen, for visible communication between cars, which is very useful for all motorists. For example, with what force the driver presses the brakes, you can show the car that is driving behind when the scale of the picture on the display is illuminated.
Communication of your car not only with other cars, but also with the infrastructure!
Soon all cars will be connected with each other and the road structure into a single whole, into a single network, which already has its own name - "car-to-X communication". Today, several companies, including Audi, have begun to create it. The essence of development is to make it possible "communication" of your car not only with other cars, but also with infrastructure, such as webcams at intersections, traffic lights or traffic signs.
Knowing about the state of traffic lights, traffic congestion and road conditions, the machine can save energy by preventing the driver from unnecessary acceleration/deceleration. The machine can even reserve a parking space. If the car is in an emergency situation, it will be able to inform the surrounding cars so that other drivers can slow down in time and avoid a collision.
Audi showcases some of these innovations with an example E-tron
https://www.youtube.com/v/iRDRbLVTFrQ
Security Improvement
Speaking about technologies that can improve the security situation, developers see one of the main tasks in "keep" us on the same lane or even on the road in especially difficult cases .
Improved engine start system
In fact, such systems are not a matter of tomorrow, but of today. But it is impossible not to say about them, since they are one of the elements of the very efficiency of resource use. It's about about the system auto start or engine stop.
Such solutions can already be observed on almost everyone: when it stops, the engines turn off; to start off, you do not need to start the engine again, but just press the gas pedal. And if we talk about the future of this technology, then it can eventually be tightly integrated with the car-to-X system, to further reduce fuel consumption. For example, given the information that a traffic light at an intersection has turned red, the car can turn off the main engine and continue driving on the electric motor only, thereby saving some energy.
Autopilot or precise cruise control
Brake assistance systems via vehicle-mounted echo sounders/lasers or radars have already become a standard option installed in expensive cars. But, like other developments that first appeared in cars of the upper price range, this one will also soon migrate to a cheaper segment.
This kind of technology, which able to avoid collision with the vehicle in front, can help in traffic safety and is useful mainly to novice drivers, so its appearance will be very useful. If manufacturers continue to improve this technology, and it will, we may soon see something similar to autopilot.
“Our goal for 2020 is that no one gets hurt by Volvo cars”, says senior security adviser Thomas Berger, speaking of new pedestrian detection system V .
Motion monitoring or "Dead Zones"
Two more, undoubtedly, necessary technologies that can help improve the security situation are the monitoring of so-called " dead zones" And lane crossing warning system. For example, new system, which is planned to be installed in cars starting in 2011, combines these two technologies. The system will not only be able to warn the driver if he without a turn signal will start rebuilding to the adjacent lane, but prevent rebuilding if the lane is occupied by another vehicle. Naturally, Infiniti will not the only car where we can observe similar technologies.
The so-called "blind zone". Companies such as BMW, Ford, GM, Mazda and Volvo offer special systems who use cameras or sensors built into the mirrors controlling dead zones. small light bulbs alarm, installed next to the rear-view mirrors, warn the driver that the car is in the dead zone, and if there is no reaction from the driver and he starts rebuilding, the system is accepted more than a Actively warn of interference by making sounds, or, depending on the brand, begins steering wheel vibration. The downside is that similar systems only work at low speeds.
Cross Traffic Alert System: this is a radar that operates on the basis of a monitoring system for "dead zones". The system is able to detect the movement of vehicles in a cross direction while driving in reverse . Cross Traffic Alert is able to determine the approach of a car at a distance of 19.8 meters from both the left and right sides, where special radars are installed. IN this moment this feature is available on Ford and Lincoln vehicles.
Crossing the road markings
Several companies, including Audi, BMW, Ford, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Volvo, offer similar friend to another solution. The system uses small road marking cameras, and if you cross it without turning on the turn signal, the system gives a warning sign. Depending on the system, this may be Sound or light signals, steering wheel vibration, or slight belt tension. For example, Infiniti uses automatic braking on one side of the car to prevent the vehicle from leaving the lane.
parking
The day is not far off when cars will be able to drive without human assistance. I set the desired destination, and you sit to yourself, sip coffee and look through the morning press. But while this day has not yet come, and many automakers are beginning to slowly prepare us for this. For example, many companies are already installing automated parking assistance systems. Such systems operate as follows: the car uses radar to determine whether there is enough space to park. Further, it helps the driver to choose the correct steering angle and practically puts the car into the parking space himself. Of course, so far it cannot do without human help, but very soon such systems will appear in which human participation will not be necessary at all. You can get out of the car and watch the whole process from the side.
Driver status tracking: a tired driver can be just as dangerous as a driver drunk driving(and you need to drink that in the norm of the law).
Vehicle-integrated tracking systems that recognize signs of fatigue in the movements and reactions of the driver and warn of the need for a break, are available from several car manufacturers. These are Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Saab and Volvo. For example, in Mercedes, such a system is called Attention Assist: it first learns the driving style, in particular rotation of the steering wheel rim, turning on the direction indicators and pressing the pedals, and also monitors some control actions of the driver and such external factors such as crosswinds and uneven road surfaces. If Attention Assist recognizes that the driver is tired, it informs them to stop for a short rest. Attention Assist does this with an audible signal and a warning message in the instrument cluster display.
In Volvo cars there is also a similar system, but it works a little differently. The system does not control the behavior of the driver, but evaluates the movement of the car on the road. If something goes wrong, the system alerts the driver before the situation becomes critical.
Night vision cameras
Night vision systems can help reduce traffic accidents at night time. Currently offered by companies such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi in the new A8. Such systems can help the driver to see pedestrians, animals or better see road signs at night. BMW uses this for this. infrared camera, which sends the image to the monitor in black and white. The camera distinguishes objects at a distance of up to 300 meters. infrared Mercedes-Benz system has more short range, but is capable of delivering more sharp image, however, its disadvantage is poor performance at low temperatures.
And Toyota engineers have been working lately to improve night vision systems that can help drivers navigate more confidently at night. They recently unveiled a prototype camera based on algorithms and imaging principles discovered by studying the functioning of the eyes of nocturnal beetles, bees and moths, which can see in a wider range of colors, and is also adapted to more fully capture light that is not so much in the darkness of the night. The new digital image processing algorithm can capture high quality full color images in low light conditions from a moving on high speeds car. Plus, the camera is capable of automatic mode adapt to changes in light levels.
Demonstration of the operation of a thermal imager - a night vision camera for a car
https://www.youtube.com/v/ghzyW0HaXMs
Seat belts
Last year, Ford introduced the world's first seat belts with inflatable pillows. According to the developers, this system will significantly increase the protection of rear seat passengers, and especially young children, who are more likely than adults to be injured in an accident. Integrated seat belt airbag inflates in 40 milliseconds. It is planned that similar Ford belts will equip Explorer 2011 models model year, but only for rear passengers. In the future, similar systems will be extended to other automakers.
https://www.youtube.com/v/MN5htEaRk4A
Hybrids and electrics
Recently, almost all automakers, both large and small, are trying to achieve greater efficiency, or efficiency, from powertrains, while relying on new types of fuels and engines, trying to reduce consumption and increase average mileage per charge / filling. Already today we can observe a large number of mass-produced, and almost every automaker has a hybrid car in its portfolio. In the next decade, there will only be more of them.
Wireless battery charging
In connection with the forthcoming distribution of cars on rechargeable batteries the question of their problem-free, and most importantly, fast reload. Of course, you can unwind the extension cord with the plug from the car and connect it to a regular outlet. But this is not available to everyone.
It is difficult to imagine a city dweller pulling a plug to the sixth floor. Or the option with free sockets on the streets looks absolutely futuristic. Another option, which seems not so fantastic, is induction chargers. In addition, the technology is already being tested on smaller devices such as iPods and mobile phones. These kinds of chargers could be built into parking spaces in large stores, for example.
Active aerodynamics
Despite the fact that all automakers have long been using wind tunnels, and in this aspect there is room for improvement.
For example, BMW company, in its concept car BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics is already successfully using systems air intake controls. Depending on the driving conditions and the outside air temperature, the dampers in front of the radiator are opened or closed by a signal from the system. If they are closed, this improves aerodynamics and reduces engine warm-up time, thereby reducing fuel consumption. Naturally, BMW is not the only company using this technology.
KERS - regenerative braking
This is a type of electrical braking in which the electrical energy generated traction motors operating in generator mode is returned to the electrical network.
Only in the 2009 season in "" on some fireballs the kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) is used. It was expected that this would spur developments in the field hybrid cars and further improvements to this system.
As you know, Ferrari introduced a hybrid coupe based on the 599th model, with KERS system.
Cars of the future
2057 year. The limited space of city streets and vertical architecture require the automotive industry to create newest cars who can survive in urban jungle And arrange vertical races. Automakers find innovative solutions in biomimicry, where four nano-laser wheels easily adapt to any track.
held together magnetic fields), which can restore its shape with one click on the alarm key fob or inside the car. The driver will be able to choose the type of car body from several possible “pre-installed” skins. The choice of car color is simply unlimited - a dream for girls who choose their car to match the color of their favorite lipstick.
Magnetic fields will help the concept instantly regenerate after being hit. SilverFlow restores its original form with a simple "reload". The appearance of gold areas will inform about the completion of the "transformation" and the readiness of the car for the trip.
The transfer of mechanical energy to the wheels, according to the thoughts of the Mercedes, is transmitted special fluid, whose molecules are set in motion by electrostatic nanomotors. Four swivel wheels allow the car to turn on the spot and park sideways. You won’t find a steering wheel and usual pedals in SilverFlow, acceleration and direction of movement will be set by two levers mounted on the sides of the driver’s seat.
Honda Zeppelin
This Honda, was created by a student who studied at the Department of Automobile Design at Hongik University, which is located in Korea.
Sequence GT
Top news of the week
It's time to find out what kind of electronics to expect in cars in the near future. Let's try to imagine what other gadgets and technologies may become as familiar as car radios or DVRs.
Wireless networks in the car
Manufacturers of semiconductor solutions for communication are already releasing special versions chips for cars designed for car infotainment systems. Depending on the need, using a Wi-Fi + Bluetooth connection, the car’s media center can communicate with the wearable electronics of the owner (after all, we are talking about the future, where there may be even more options for wearable electronics than modern smart watches) and, depending on the information received, unlock the car or warn of danger.
An even more interesting application of various combinations of wireless networks will have to be systems like V2X - providing for the exchange of data between the car and the surrounding infrastructure. Vehicular communication systems - automotive communication systems that provide for the exchange of information between cars (data about accidents, traffic situation, traffic jams, etc.), providing for the ability to more effectively manage the traffic situation as a whole, by providing information to all participants. There are already several implementations of such short range communications (DRSC) networks. Technically, they should work in the 5.9 GHz frequency range (5.85-5.925 GHz), with an approximate range of up to 1000 meters. This standard is called IEEE 802.11p (WAVE), and was approved in 2010.
In 1999, this frequency in the US was secured to create an intelligent transportation system (ITS). The ITS of the future can be seen as a system that uses information and communication technologies in the field of road transport (including infrastructure, vehicles, system participants, as well as traffic regulation), and at the same time has the ability to interact with other modes of transport. Traditional WiMAX, GSM, 3G or 4G/5G technologies can also be used to operate such systems. Considering now existing options solutions for wireless networking in cars, it is safe to assume that communication or "connection" of the car to the global network, in one form or another, is virtually inevitable.
Mobile operating systems for cars
Modern motorists can no longer be surprised by a media center running Android OS. Most often, Android can be found on the head unit of a car (if you use a modern DVR, then Android can even be found ... in the CANSONIC SKY rear-view mirror).
However, in fact, the plans of companies extend much further, and Android Auto, introduced by Google in 2014, can be an example of such future solutions. Backed by twenty-eight car manufacturers and Nvidia, the car-optimized "mobile" operating system is vying for the right to revolutionize the "zoo" of diverse proprietary operating systems in media centers. We've already seen this somewhere, haven't we? Just as Android on smartphones over time replaced its own operating systems various manufacturers, you can bet on the repetition of this scenario on cars. IN current form the system already has good functionality - supports GPS navigation, music playback, SMS, telephony, web search, touch screens and the ability to control hardware switches and buttons, along with voice control. At the moment, Android Auto relies on the presence (and connection to the car) of the driver's main Android device, acting more like an interface for conveniently integrating familiar smartphone functions into the car. This approach has its advantages - given the speed of updating and the increasing power of modern mobile platforms, the lack of its own built-in (and therefore obviously outdated every year) electronics will make it possible to obtain new functions simply by connecting a new smartphone. The car acts as a "normal" docking station - it may sound strange now, but in the future such a scenario is not at all excluded.
Unmanned vehicles and electric vehicles
Of course, what is the future without self-driving cars! However, almost everyone who imagines self-driving cars as seriously different from classic manual cars is in for a little disappointment. Google's self-driving cars are the only modern car concept "without a steering wheel or pedals". Most self-driving concepts (including those that have received the right to drive on the roads common use in some US states) allow you to return to manual control at any time. Thus, for the driver and passengers, the use of self-management does not bring external major changes to the interior of the car. Modern self-driving cars achieve significant success, for example, this year a self-driving car managed to overtake a racing driver, however, the advantage was very small - only 0.4 seconds.
A similar situation is repeated for electric vehicles and hybrids. If you do not take into account the standing apart Tesla, automakers are striving in every possible way to unify the experience of using electric vehicles, hybrids and cars with internal combustion engines. So in many cases, it is possible to distinguish an electric car from a conventional car (except for the sound of the engine) only by additional charge indicators on the dashboard and the presence of a charging socket instead of a gas tank neck.
Holographic HUD displays
Back in 2006, Light Blue Optics Ltd announced the acquisition of a license for the production of full-color holographic laser projectors. The technology itself was invented by Edward Buckley and Adrian Cable in 2003 at the University of Cambridge. Starting in 2009, this system began to be adapted for use in displays that do not require the driver's attention to be distracted from the road (head-up display, HUD). There were many options for projecting an image onto a car windshield - these are full-color laser holograms and much more simple solutions(reflection of a mirror image of a bright monochrome display off the glass). So far, automakers are in no hurry to equip all new models with HUD displays, but there are such examples - in 2014 Range received such a system. Rover Evoque, and Ford is betting on the MISHOR 3D system, with similar features. HUD displays have securely won the windshields of aircraft (primarily military ones), but in cars of the future (especially self-driving ones), such an information output system will look more than appropriate.
Augmented reality in cars
Why limit the area of possible projection to the windshield? Approximately such reasoning guided the authors of modern concepts of augmented reality systems. This is the "transparent hood" system in cars Land Rover(the system allows the driver to see the road surface, which is normally hidden, is realized using cameras and projectors inside the car) and the concept of a virtual screen with “tips” regarding the necessary trajectory (just like in the NFS Shift series of games).
A more extravagant solution is the concept of a completely transparent car from Japan's Keio University. In him backseat the car becomes transparent so as not to obstruct the driver's view when reversing. At the rear of the car is a projector that projects the image onto a reflective screen located between and slightly behind the two front seats.
When the driver looks back over his shoulder, he sees an almost real view from behind the car, but only through augmented reality. The concept is certainly interesting, but clearly does not take into account the presence of passengers in the car. Most likely, such systems will still conquer the cars of the future, in one form or another projecting an image in the form of augmented reality.
Alternative Control Methods
In addition to voice control or entering the desired route via touch screen(in a hypothetical self-driving car of the future), automakers are also experimenting with more exotic modes of control, including gesture control. Back in 2012, Mercedes-Benz introduced an interior concept called DICE (Dynamic & Intuitive Control Experience).
Instead of a windshield, it was proposed to use a display, and with the help of sensors, track the position of the driver’s or front passenger’s hand in space and follow its movements to regulate and adjust the functions of the car. Even with screens over high definition, it is unlikely that drivers will soon agree to use them instead of a windshield. Audi also demonstrated the gesture control system in the same year, but there it was used to change the modes of the HUD display. So besides the sensors that monitor the fastened seat belt or the presence of passengers in the cabin, in the cabin of the future we can expect the presence of where more various "tracking systems" like Leap Motion.
Social networks of the future and cars
Already today, social networks and services “for motorists” can significantly influence the traffic situation. There are many examples of this - even the police pay attention to applications such as Waze (a crowdsourcing project based on user data, with the help of which the project participants learn about the occurrence of problems on the roads), speaking both with criticism and with approval. The possibility of notifications of the whereabouts of patrols has caused law enforcement concerns for the safety of police officers. Examples of social interactions at the level of "car-car" or "car-infrastructure" can take on different forms - these are loyalty programs from gas stations, free electric refueling stations for electric vehicles, optimization of parking spaces in the city depending on occupancy, taxi call systems without a dispatcher, "gamification ” and “achievements” (for example, accrual of points for safe driving) when using the car. Most of these features are not surprising in and of themselves, but they will no doubt be developed in future vehicles.
Afterword
Of course, it is almost impossible to guess what cars or their electronics will be like in a few decades with great certainty. It is obvious that auto electronics will see a qualitative leap, because every year concepts at auto shows begin to resemble real “cars from the future”, which we represented only in fantastic works. It remains only to wait a bit and we will see what other technologies of the future will seem to us as familiar as a car radio or a DVR.
The instrument panel is good, but when information is additionally displayed on the glass, it is even better. Let's talk about appointment projection display, its varieties, characteristics, cost and video.
The content of the article:
The projection display is becoming more and more popular, in another way it is also called HUD or Head-Up Display. The big advantage of this technology is traffic safety and driving comfort.
The main purpose is to project current information from the instrument panel onto the windshield of the car. The image is calculated in such a way in height so as not to distract attention from the road to have an idea about the state of the car and speed.
A little background
For the first time, such technology began to be used in aviation, but the projection display came to the automotive industry only in 1988. General motors. 10 years later, GM pioneered this technology with a color display.
Since 2003, the head-up display has appeared in BMW cars. Today, the projection system is used in many premium cars. Every year, the technology becomes cheaper, which means it is more accessible on cars of other budget classes.
head-up display
The name speaks for itself, when buying a car it is offered as an option. By design, the system includes a head-up display, a projector and a projection control system.
To form an image, manufacturers use a projector with high contrast and color saturation. Having collected together the parameters from different meters of the car:
- engine sensors;
- navigation system;
- night vision system;
- adaptive cruise control;
- sign recognition and others.
Thanks to the head-up display, the driver receives a virtual image, which allows him to concentrate on the road. Two types of screen are recognized. Often the most common can be considered a special, transparent film that is glued to the windshield. It prevents image scatter at different weather conditions. On Mini machines, the manufacturer uses a transparent screen instead of a film.
Depending on the manufacturer of the head-up display and the systems it uses, it can be designed:
- duplication of different sensors of the instrument panel;
- signal about the car in the dead zone;
- the presence of pedestrians on the side of the road at night;
- vehicle speed;
- engine speed from the tachometer;
- indicators from the navigation system;
- signal about different road signs.
The advantage of such a display is its versatility and ease of installation. It is a portable projector that can be installed in convenient location for the driver and display a picture on the windshield.
Garmin devices are considered the most common. Installed directly on the torpedo. The second manufacturer is Pioneer, according to the instructions, it is attached to the sun visor. In this case, the video signal is sent to the projector via a smartphone via Bluetooth or a USB cable.
It is immediately worth considering that the functional set of a mobile projection display is several times smaller than a standard one. Most often, a mobile device includes indicators of the navigation system, vehicle speed, but this requires a smartphone and special software installed on it.
Of the popular mobile projectors, the device from Navdy is considered. The display can be connected to a smartphone via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, you can also connect it to on-board computer, via the diagnostic connector.
Thanks to the on-board computer, information from various sensors on the instrument panel can be displayed on the projection display. The built-in infrared camera will allow you to implement rigid control of the projection display from an additional control panel.
The simplest way to implement a projection display can be done from a regular smartphone. This will be based on special program, which displays certain information on the smartphone screen.
The smartphone itself is located on the instrument panel, the image from the smartphone display is projected (displayed) on the windshield, thereby showing the driver the necessary information.
The program distorts the image in a mirror form so that the correct, readable information is on the glass. But still, it will not be able to replace the stationary one of the above induced displays.
Display Price
Price standard display will depend on the manufacturer, on average, its price as an option will be from 500 euros. Based on a Garmin mobile projection display, its price ranges from 200 euros. The cheapest and easiest way is to use a smartphone, just buy a special stand for a couple of thousand rubles and install it near the windshield and add your smartphone.
It is worth noting that the head-up display technology only on the windshield is just beginning to develop. It is believed that in the future the Head-Up Display system will display all the necessary information on the windshield, including the image from the side rear-view mirrors.
Video of the principle of operation of the projection display:
Everyone has encountered a situation where a glance at the navigator screen, dashboard or the smartphone screen distracted from driving. And some even got into an accident because of it. So it happened with the owner of the marketing agency Vitaly Ponomarev. In 2008, he became seriously interested in augmented reality (AR) and decided to persuade serious investors to invest only some $ 100 million in the business. “I traveled all over the world and proved to investment funds that in a few years AR will be everywhere,” Vitaly laughs. — Distracted by the navigator, I almost got into an accident. And the puzzle was formed: here it is, my augmented reality. Right here. On windshield».
One and a half buckets
Head-up displays were not new at the time. For example, German company Continental, the world leader in their manufacture, has been installing HUDs in BMW, Audi and Mercedes vehicles since 2003. Traditional head-up display devices are highly sophisticated devices with curved mirrors and spherical optics. And what is critically important, requiring a large volume, approximately 18 liters - one and a half ordinary buckets! But you need to place these one and a half buckets in the area of \u200b\u200bthe steering wheel - one of the most significant points of the car. Therefore, HUDs are equipped with large expensive cars that were originally designed with space for the display. It is not surprising that you will be asked at least 100,000 rubles for installing a projection display in dealerships of German car brands. Well, on conventional machines you will not see the classic HUD.
Founder and CEO of WayRay, inventor Studied at the Russian Academy of National Economy and public service under the President Russian Federation in the specialties "economics", "management of innovative projects". In 2012, he founded the WayRay project, which in four years has grown into an international company with offices in Russia, Switzerland and the United States. In 2015, he was included in the top 100 outstanding innovators of Switzerland according to the newspaper L'Hebdo.
leopard monster
In addition to the size and complexity of the design, traditional head-up displays have another drawback: they produce a flat picture at a distance of 20 cm from the windshield. That is, the driver still has to refocus his eyes. And Vitaly Ponomarev decided to get an image at a distance of 10-20 m. According to his plan, the picture should become three-dimensional. Not stereoscopic, but real, holographic. Despite the financial education, Vitaly understood physics very well. Looking for investors, he learned a lot about new technologies. Intuition told him in what areas to look for specialists. As a rule, two people stand at the origins of such companies: one is a marketing guru, the second is a technical genius. Everything was in order with marketing, it was up to the techie. The story of finding the technical director of the future WayRay has already entered the cases of headhunters: Vitaly simply launched a search for the words “lasers”, “microelectronics” and “IT” on Habré, the cult site of technology geeks habrahabr.ru. In the top of the answers, the search engine gave out: Mikhail Svarichevsky with the nickname BarsMonster. “Now this monster is mine,” Ponomarev jokes.
Between glasses
In 2012, Vitaly and Mikhail began to assemble the first giant prototypes based on standard optics to determine how interesting the effect will be. It became clear that the desired image and the required dimensions could not be achieved in this way. The idea came to use a flat Fresnel lens of the type that is installed on rear windows cars. This transparent film is glued or welded between triplex panes and works as part of the optical system. We decided to create a Fresnel lens for several wavelengths, and it turned out that this is a hologram - a holographic optical element (HOE). The most extensive experience in working with holographic materials in Russia is at FIAN - P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute. It was there that colleagues went for new technologies. We started with holograms on silver, trying to understand whether it is possible to make large-area holographic elements at all, and gradually switched to prototypes of transparent photopolymers. They made a volumetric three-dimensional hologram on which a diffraction grating is recorded - in fact, a virtual optical element, a wavefront converter that reflects the waves of the desired length, and transmits the rest.
The idea for a device that projects navigation information onto the windshield of a car came to Vitaly when he was distracted by the navigator and almost crashed the car. The concept was gradually supplemented by internet connection, social networking technologies and augmented reality.
“What is innovative here? - Vitaly Ponomarev is ahead of my question. We didn't invent holography. Photopolymers too. And there were attempts to make HUD on holographic elements before us. But then there were no cheap lasers and photopolymers that fit our requirements: transparency and the absence of host effects. We got into head-up displays just at the moment when all this appeared. Our small startup was the fastest to create design and manufacturing tools that were impossible in a large company, and became the first. ” However, it is wrong to consider WayRay a technological integrator: the company employs physicists, mechanical engineers, opticians, and programmers. Even the design tools they use are non-standard: they had to be modified so that they could read systems with "abnormal" optical components.
Alibaba and forty developers
Our editors played enough with the HUD prototype. Its size - about the size of a small suitcase - is a huge improvement: the first prototypes occupied the entire passenger seat to the right of the driver. The thing is really impressive, photos and videos do not convey the fullness of the generated augmented reality. A commercial sample of the Navion holographic navigator will also be released in the fall: the kit will include a small box with a laser projector and a special film that turns the windshield into a screen. It will cost about $500. And next year, the first car with a built-in WayRay AR solution will appear on the roads. In early 2016, the company agreed to implement a pilot project with Banma Technologies, a joint venture between Alibaba Group and China's largest automaker SAIC Motor.
As part of the project, an AR infotainment system will be developed, which will be introduced into mass production of one of the cars in 2018. When asked why they decided to turn to the Chinese, and not to the Europeans, Vitaly answers simply: the Chinese are ready to take risks and work very quickly. And besides, Banma's shareholder is the Internet giant Alibaba Group, which in March invested $ 18 million in WayRay, overnight making Vitaly Ponomarev's company world-famous. “We were not bought, our company was invested,” emphasizes Vitaly. - Alibaba is a minority shareholder. We have retained control." However, this is not the first investment. About $10 million was invested by Russian private investors, whose names Ponomarev does not name. One of them is professionally versed in modern optics - it was he who first believed in the prospects of technology.
Global result
Today WayRay is a technology company with offices in Switzerland, Russia and the United States. Develops a navigation system for cars that uses the principle of augmented reality, as well as a software and hardware complex for collecting information about driving and correcting driver behavior.
However, automotive holographic navigators for a startup, it is just a stage on the way to the goal. “We want to become the number one company in the non-wearable augmented reality market,” says Vitaliy. “Any transparent surface can become a 3D display.” The company is already working on prototypes of new devices. Apparently, they will be associated with entertainment.
Run modeling software and display a full-size model for editing in space. Turn on the communicator and talk not with a flat image of the interlocutor on a video call, but with its three-dimensional projection, through which your favorite carpet shines through. Pull back the curtain and see the weather forecast on the window glass, the situation with traffic jams, and in general - how it is there. Start the car engine and receive additional alerts on the windshield area about road markings, possible dangers and other important information.
If earlier all this was the lot of science fiction, now this has moved from the category of “Fiction” to the category of “Near Future”. We will try to tell in this post how modern scientists are approaching the age of holography, how it all began and what difficulties in the development of holographic technologies are currently experiencing.
How holographic images are created
The human eye sees physical objects because light reflects off them. The construction of a holographic image is based precisely on this principle - a beam of reflected light is created, completely identical to that which would be reflected from a physical object. A person, looking at this beam, sees the same object (even if he looks at it from different angles).Higher-resolution holograms are static drawings, the “canvas” of which is a photopolymer, and the “brush” is a laser beam that changes the structure of photopolymer materials at a time. As a result, the photopolymer processed in this way creates a holographic image (light falls on the plane of the hologram, the photopolymer creates its thin interference pattern).
By the way, about the interference itself. It occurs when a series of electromagnetic waves are formed in a certain space, whose frequencies coincide, and with quite a high degree. Already in the process of recording a hologram in a particular area, two waves are added - the first, the reference one, comes directly from the source, the second, the object one, is reflected from the object. A photographic plate with sensitive material is placed in the same area, and a pattern of darkening bands appears on it, corresponding to the distribution electromagnetic energy(interference pattern). Then the plate is illuminated with a wave close in characteristics to the reference wave, and the plate converts this wave into a wave close to the object wave.
As a result, it turns out that the observer sees approximately the same light that would be reflected from the original object of the recording.
Brief historical background
Shel 1947 year. India gained independence from Britain, Argentina granted women the right to vote, Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov created his famous machine gun, John Bardeen and Walter Brattainomes conduct an experiment that made it possible to create the world's first working bipolar transistor, and the production of Polaroid cameras begins.And Dennis Gabor receives the world's first hologram.
In general, Dennis tried to increase the resolution of electron microscopes of that era, but in the course of an experiment aimed at this, he received a hologram.
Alas, Gabor, like many minds, was a little ahead of his time, and he simply did not have the necessary technologies to obtain good quality holograms (it is impossible to do this without a coherent light source, and Theodor Meiman will demonstrate the first laser on an artificial ruby crystal for only 13 years later).
But after 1960 (a red ruby laser with a wavelength of 694 nm, pulsed, and a helium-neon laser, 633 nm, continuous), things went much more cheerfully.
1962 . Emmet Leith and Juris Upatnieks, Michigan Institute of Technology. Creation of a classic scheme for recording holograms. Transmission holograms were recorded - in the process of restoring the hologram, light was passed through the photographic plate, but some of the light is reflected from the plate and also creates an image that is visible from the opposite side.
1967 . The first holographic portrait is recorded using a ruby laser.
1968 . The photographic materials themselves are also being improved, thanks to which Yuri Nikolayevich Denisyuk develops his own recording scheme and obtains high-quality holograms (they restored the image by reflecting white light). Everything is going quite well, so much so that the recording scheme is called “Denisyuk's Scheme”, and the holograms are called “Denisyuk's Holograms”.
1977 . Multiplex hologram of Lloyd Cross, consisting of several dozen angles, each of which can be seen from only one angle.
Pluses - the dimensions of the object that you want to record are not limited by the wavelength of the laser or the size of the photographic plate. You can create a hologram of an object that does not exist (that is, simply by drawing an invented object from several angles at once).
Cons - the lack of vertical parallax, such a hologram can be viewed only along the horizontal axis, but not from above or below.
1986 . Abraham Seke realizes that there is no limit to perfection and proposes to create a source of coherent radiation in the near-surface region using X-rays. The spatial resolution in holography always depends on the size of the radiation source and its distance from the object - this made it possible to reconstruct in real space the atoms that surrounded the emitter.
Now
Today, some prototype holographic video displays work in much the same way as modern LCD monitors: they scatter light in a special way, forming pseudo-3D, rather than creating an interference pattern. What is the main disadvantage of this approach connected with - only one person sitting at the right angle to the monitor can normally evaluate such a picture. All other viewers will not be so impressed.Of course, fans of science fiction and new technologies sleep and see how holographic displays will become as commonplace as wifi at home or a camera in a smartphone, comparable to not the worst soap dish. And although the ideal hologram in the understanding of the majority is actually not today and not tomorrow, developments on this topic are already underway.
Institute of Science and Advanced Studies, Korea. A working prototype of a new 3D holographic display, the performance characteristics of which are about a couple of thousand times better than those of existing analogues.
The weak link of such displays is the matrix. While matrices consist of two-dimensional pixels. The Koreans, on the other hand, used a conventional (but good) display, coupled with a special modulator for the front of the optical pulse. The result was a high-quality hologram, though small - 1 cubic centimeter.
There was a time when it was believed that light scattering was a serious obstacle to the normal recognition of projected objects. But as our practice shows, modern 3D displays can be significantly improved by learning to control this dispersion. Proper dispersion made it possible to increase both the viewing angle and the overall resolution,- notes Professor Jonken Park.
Griffith University, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. Holographic display based on graphene.
Scientists armed with the Gabor method mentioned at the very beginning of this post and made a high-resolution 3D holographic display based on digital holographic screen, consisting of small dots that reflect light.
Pros - viewing angle of 52 degrees. For normal perception of the picture, no additional stray items in the form of 3D glasses and other things are needed.
By the way, about 52 degrees. The viewing angle is greater, the fewer pixels will be used. Graphene oxide is processed by photoreduction, which creates a pixel that can bend color for a holoimage.
The developers believe that this approach in due time will be able to start a revolution in the development of displays, especially on mobile devices.
Bristol University, UK. ultrasonic holography.
The object is created in the air with the help of many ultrasonic emitters aimed at a cloud of water vapor, which is also created by the system. The implementation, of course, is more complicated than in the case of the usual screen, but still.
- fog is created not just by drops of water, but by drops of a special substance.
- this substance is illuminated by a special lamp.
- the lamp modulates a special light.
The result is a projection of the object, which can not only be viewed from all sides, but also touched.
The oscillation frequency of such an interference pattern is from 0.4 to 500 Hz.
One of the main areas of activity in which developers suggest the beneficial use of technology is medicine. The doctor will be able to “feel” it based on the data of the medical record and the simulated organ. It will also be possible to create three-dimensional projections of any goods at presentations. A positive effect is also predicted when such technology replaces touch displays in public places (electronic menus, terminals, ATMs). How difficult and expensive it will be to implement - of course, is the second question.
And what entertainment services of a certain direction can reach - it's scary (but interesting) to think.
Vancouver, Canada. Interactive holographic display.
What do you need:
- mobile device
- HDMI or wifi
- donate $550 on Kickstarter here
