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-   -   Aftermarket Head-Up Display (HUD Add-ons & Mobile Apps) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifications-accessories/142096-aftermarket-head-up-display-hud-add-ons-mobile-apps.html)

Dear BHPian experts,

Found this product in e-bay and it seems really good. Kindly let me know your opinions, comments or experience about this product. If this is compatible with my car, I am certainly going to try it.

http://www.ebay.in/itm/Vehicle-Mount...item19e247b109

Mods : There was a very very old post on this topic so thought of opening a new discussion. If necessary you can move it the appropriate location.

This advertised Product is being sold on the basis that the driver will not get "Distracted" by looking at various things on the dash. Hence my 2 cents:

In my typical experience of driving on highways (assuming this product is apt mostly for highways), a driver would look “away” during the following occasions (and more):

• Regulary look at the all the 3 ORVMs
• Check the Fuel needle and current speed
• Check the ODO & Trip meter reading
• Check Engine Temperature/Warning light
• Check the Time on the clock on Dash or ICE’s Head Unit
• Check the current Song being played by ICE
• Check various other MID Parameters like DTE, Range, Instant FE, Average FE etc
• Check few parameters/directions displayed on the GPS Device mounted on the windscreen

In real world, I would spend little more than a split second to check these with my eyes still focused on the road and one hand fiddling with the stalks/buttons till I get the desired information, focus my eyeballs on what I want to read and back onto the road again!!

Driving a regular car for months, as a driver/owner, one would master the art of managing these buttons and no of clicks on the stalk control it takes to reach the desired option/reading.

Hence, it is a very rare case that I would really be taking my eyes off the road whenever I decide to see some information among the categories above.

What if I am driving a totally different car:

Now, in case I am driving a fairly new car at good speeds on a highway, I will certainly not be “well equipped” in handling the control buttons/Stalks to see the information that I want. In that case I would do one of the following:

1. Start playing with the controls/screen when I am waiting/crawling at the toll booth
2. “Re-Schedule” my decision to a later point of time and check that out when I stop for a break in few minutes
3. If something is really urgent and I am clueless and confused, I assess the traffic and pull over to the shoulder and then attempt.
4. I do the above 3 steps on a regular basis for some or the other reason and in a couple of ours, I am again “well-equipped” to handle this new car the way I did in my own car earlier.

There are a lot of Mobile phone applications available for this which display most of the information advertised in this device which also reads values from the ECU.

Also, I am also not sure how distracting the parameters will be in case you are driving at night or in rains (lets just say it suddenly begins to rain very heavily on a highway) and the driver is badly confused with the tail/brake lights of the vehicle ahead due to the display of this device.

We already have a thread on distracting things on the dash like hanging CDs, Hanging Idols, Beige Dashboard under sunny weather etc etc.

IMHO, I would personally prefer not to put so much money into this device considering the hazardous and unpredictable driving conditions prevalent on our roads today.

Might be OT but Garmin has a similar device but for maps. That seemed pretty cool.

I completely agree with you.

However, I want to share an experience, bit irrelevant, but worth metioning. 10 years ago I bought a new bike and was driving to office during running in period. The road was completely desolated and I looked down to check my speed (anything over 40 kmph was not recommended). Suddenly three guys (w/o helmets) appeared on a scooter from a perpendicular street. I did not see them coming as i was cheking the speed and hit them at 40 KMPH. It resulted in badly damaged bike,a lot of bruises and a fractured leg of one of the pillion rider on the scooter.

JayD runs an aftermarket HUD on his Figo : Link

Have to admit i have always found it pretty cool looking but i am not convinced about the convenience aspect and whether it might end up being distracting.

This looks like a LCD display that reflects off your windshield.

But wait, isn't that just what a HUD is??

NOT EXACTLY. There is a key difference here. Good OEM HUDs have their optics set up in a way that the information you see looks like its hovering about 4-5 feet ahead of you. This means your eyes don't need to focus exceptionally close when you want to reference the data. As a result, you can keep the road in focus too.

The pictures only tell part of the story - but you can kind of tell that the camera is focusing further away.


source


source


As an alternative to this device, you could first try out some of these phone apps. If you have an AMOLED screen, that's ideal.

Android example or this one

iOS example

cya
R

I have been using an app on my phone that is rather simplistic. It just reads out speed and direction of travel. Though my phone doesnt have an AMOLED display, which would have been just the right thing, the clear black display does do a decent job as long as it is not very sunny. Also i can position the phone as per the need. I usually place it in such a way that it will be displayed just like the above picture. It is very helpful as we need not have to look away from the road and can maintain a constant speed on the highway.

Planning to design one myself using the VSS signal from the car. Lets see how it goes about.

The free iPhone app that turns your entire WINDSCREEN into a sat-nav device - and claims to make driving safer

• The app puts augmented reality details on the windscreeen, including driving instructions, speed and distance until sharp turns
• It is designed for driving at night and in impaired weather conditions where visibility is imperfect in a bid to cut traffic accidents
• The app is free for iPhone users and a version for Android handsets is expected in February

Sat-navs are great for navigating unfamiliar cities and wildernesses, but it can be difficult for drivers to focus on the road when they are trying to read directions on a sat-nav device at the same time.

Now, however, an iPhone app claims to make using a GPS device safer while driving.



The program uses a smartphone as a projection device to beam the projections from its app onto a car's windscreen so that drivers no longer have to look down while they drive.

The Russian company said the app is 'a unique application for the smartphone that allows drivers to focus on the road, keep hands on the wheel and mind on driving.'

The Hudway app adds an augmented reality element to the windscreen without users having to spend a penny, as the app is free and no special glass coverings for the car are needed.

To use the app, a user simply needs to place their phone on the dashboard and secure it in some way, enabling the app to beam a visual of the road onto the windscreen along with their speed and distance until the next potentially dangerous turn.

Sharp turns are highlighted in red and road markers are displayed every 50 metres to help drivers measure the distance before the next big turn, which is designed to be particularly useful in severe fog or at night, when visibility can be restricted in dimly lit areas.

While images show the app in use in snowy and drizzly conditions, some experts question whether the screen from the iPhone is strong enough to project light onto the windscreen in bright daytime conditions.

Critically, the Russian start-up says that an internet connection is not required for the duration of a car journey as users can set up a route on the app and pre-load a map from Google before they embark on their journey.

The company said: 'Current navigation systems are inherently unsafe. They distract driver’s attention away from the road. Especially it's not safe in low visibility conditions - rain, fog, heavy snow, night or just dark.'

The firm has developed the app in a bid to reduce accidents as a result of poor weather conditions.

According to the World Healthy Organisation, 350 people die every day across the globe as a result of low visibility conditions on the road.

The Hudway app also allows users to save routes and share them with friends and an Android version is scheduled for February 2014.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ing-safer.html

HOW THE HUDWAY APP WORKS

• The app uses Google Maps for its location information.
• Once the free app is downloaded, iPhone users can male a route on a map, which the app pre-loads so the map can be used without an internet connection.
• The iPhone is placed on a car's dashboard and secured
• The app beams driving directions, a car's speed and turning alerts onto the car's windscreen, which refelects the sriving directions off the glass.
• This means the driver does not need to look down while he or she is in control of the vehicle.

Demo Video (Not in English)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYGR-t_VD_Y

This is something really useful and new under certain conditions.
while reading the article, i came to know about one limitation, 'While images show the app in use in snowy and drizzly conditions, some experts question whether the screen from the iPhone is strong enough to project light onto the windscreen in bright daytime conditions.'
Source:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...av-device.html

If it is preloading the route map then it will not be able to plan a reroute on the way. Also placing the phone on the dashboard at a correct angle for projecting image on windscreen may be difficult and the projection may not be visible under bright sunlight.

However the concept is good and the its technology will take some time to improve and stabilize. I am downloading it as a trial and will post my experience.

I think it is primarily designed for night drives (at least for the time being). Please check the second bullet point in the post. "It is designed for driving at night and in impaired weather conditions where visibility is imperfect in a bid to cut traffic accidents..."

I am using an Android phone. So I cannot test it now :(

You can. I have been using Torque OBD (Google Play) for the past 1 1/2 years now but not too much in HUD mode. Also works only in darker climates/times as our bright sunlight easily overcomes the puny smartphone screen.

Best option is to buy a special translucent plastic film and stick to the desired portion of the windshield. Only then can one use the true HUD capabilities!

Garmin's plastic film is expensive; cheaper stuff available on eBay etc:
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Head-Up...ds=hud+display

http://www.s-lecfilm.com/eng/product...sfw/index.html

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Head-up-disp...-/140778303797

Thanks itwasntme for the info.

I own a WagonR 2010 Model. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ve-review.html

Any idea my Waggy supports OBD-II? Not found any info in the Owners Manual.

Tourque Pro is very interesting.

Do you suggest any particular brand/model "OBD-II Bluetooth adapter"?
I found a whole lot here: http://www.ebay.in/sch/i.html?_trksi...at=0&_from=R40