This stuff really worries me. It legitimises indulging in social media whilst driving a car which is one of the most complex tasks many of us do daily. It also worries me the glib way that this type of HUD is compared to an aircraft HUD; since they use it in aircraft, it must be safe right? I used to (a long time ago) have involvement in aircraft displays and HUD. The comparison is completely wrong. Firstly, the mechanics of this HUD is nowhere the same as on an aircraft, where the HUD display is focused at near infinity so the pilot's eyes don't need to refocus from the greater outside scene (first time you look at an aircraft HUD is weird, the graphics float somewhere in the distance). This car HUD says it is focused at around 6 feet, which is somewhere just at the end of the bonnet. So a driver will not be focused at the outside world where one would hope, in my opinion. This stuff might sound somewhat trivial, but since the idea of the HUD is that information can be displayed whilst not impairing outside cues, I think it is important.
However, much more important is that the aircraft HUD isn't simply a display. The most important part is the complex software which is used to tune the information being presented to be relevant, critical and non-distracting. A lot - and I mean a lot - of time is spent researching, developing and testing this. Not only is the system carefully developed, but pilots - even those on private pilots licenses - go through much training on concentrating on the right information at the right time and not being distracted by irrelevant data. Most drivers passed a test years ago when social media wasn't even a dream, and the dashboard was a spartan affair. How can we reasonably expect them to suddenly be able to process and manage large amounts of realtime information, much of which is irrelevant to the task? Maybe the HUD system has been carefully developed to manage the information streams for the driver and has clever electronics to identify what data is needed and when. But since it costs $299 and links to a smartphone, I am having my doubts. The fact that they have introduced swipe controls and voice activation doesn't fill me with confidence either. Speaking a twitter which then appears in your field of view seems like madness, especially when most voice systems are still a bit hit and miss and will require some editing before sending.
The law isn't really keeping up with this. Even car manufacturers are basically loading up their new cars with gadgets that add workload to the driver. I think a HUD is a good idea if it displays critical data only (maybe also basic sat-nav arrows, and at an outside possibility basic call handling if the design is done very well), and if the HUD is actually focused somewhere around the distance a driver should be looking.
The advert seems to think it is a good product because it is better than fiddling around with a mobile. Even if we accept this is true, do you know what is better than both? Not f*ck*ng about with posting twitter and facebook updates whilst trying to drive..
