That's the one, I couldn't for the life of me remember the name of it. Not worth tracking them down though after I found out language barrier would be impossible to overcome.
I suspect the glass is slightly silvered (similar to fighter plane HUDs), in order to reflect the image better. Wouldn't work nearly as well projecting onto the windshield.
It wasn't 10 years ago when car audio / electronics regularly commanded $1,200+ for a "Flip up" or double din screen by Alpine. Now they are $250+ with everything better; touch screen etc.
Let's see: no weird angles, no distortion, no phones sliding around the dash, no having to run shoddily made apps with backwards displays...there are plenty of reasons for the $799 price.
Chinese knockoffs are already in full speed at a much lower price. One of my friends saw an exact Navdy knockoff called Carrobot in China selling for only $400. Supposedly it worked pretty well and was already shipping back in February.
The price is high, but it's still non mainstream tech and also, IMO - I'm no expert, a life changing advantage compared to anything else. Even a large phone nicely placed will be more distracting than a semi transparent overlay right in your field of view. It allows to keep binocular focus on the road. Any time I have to aim anywhere I lose track of what happens on the road, I also lose sense of depth, peripheral vision isn't build for that.
I want to find a way to have a HUD asap. Actually I dreamt about making one in a different way last week and I'm a bit jealous right now.
I drive an '04 Civic, so it's all moot for me... but I'd guess that people are willing to pay ~$800 for the aesthetics of a HUD vs. the kind of phone mount you see in an UberX. Although who knows!
Seems like the place to sell something like this would be through the car dealers, rather than direct to consumers. $799 seems like a lot when you're paying for it up front, but it'd be a much less daunting "just $X more per monthly payment!" number when it's just one more thing getting rolled into the already-large amount you're financing...
>... put it on a screen that is, in theory, less distracting.
A heads up display isn't less distracting. If anything it is more distracting since it is more in your field of view.
The value of a heads up display is that you don't have to move your visual focus as much as with something in the dash. Better heads up systems than this one make it so you don't have to change your distance focus, everything is at infinity focus.
A heads up display still requires your attention. The improvement is in a reduction of the dead time while switching between it and your surroundings.
My wife's BMW X4 has a built-in HUD, and to us the killer uses are:
1) Current speed shown along with the speed limit. It gets the speed limit from onboard maps combined with using the car's cameras. If there's road construction, for example, it'll notice the signs and update the speed limit accordingly. This seems really simple, but it means never needing to look at your dash to check your speed.
2) Driving directions. Very handy when you're in places you don't know well, or in heavy traffic. The HUD is dramatically better than looking aside to your phone or the car's center console screen.
If an after-market HUD can do those, I'd seriously consider putting one in my other (older) car.
Well it "seems simple" in terms of the value you get: your speedometer is only a quick glance down, so until you get used to driving with a HUD, you don't really appreciate its value. Eliminating all those glances down to the dash really does make a difference!
(As for implementation, that's absolutely not a simple problem.)
Yup, I also noticed on my Mazda that I don't really look at the main gauge cluster anymore - HUD is way closer to my standard field of view, it's focus is closer to the things on the road and it shows all the critical info (speed, radar cruise control status, directions, lane keeping... in new version also blind spot monitoring status and speed limits).
I'd recommend it to anyone, the annoyance is only that you need to readjust it for every driver.
Which Mazda model is that if I may ask? I'm looking for relatively low-end (and affordable!) cars with helpful safety features. I've heard Subaru has some good stuff, but didn't know about Mazda.
No idea on the HUD, but subaru's eyesight regularly wins the comparisons I've seen. In the USA the IIHT does regular testing, overseas there's a similar organization (sorry can't remember the name). Youtube, consumer reports, various car magazines, and various others have done similar.
Definitely seems smart enough to reduce or even eliminate (some cases) rear ending someone. I know a few people with eyesight systems and they speak of it highly.
Kinda surprising given how small subaru's R&D budget is compared to the bigger makers. I think subaru is in the 3rd generation or so.
I was thinking the same thing. Anker seems to be able to put out decent quality hardware affordably. So I'd be surprised if their version is over $299. Unfortunately I can't see myself spending more than $99 on something like this.
I wonder how it will work in Arizona sun. Especially when one would potentially need it the most. That is, in the morning and then in afternoon/evening commute. The sun is at the worst possible angles during those times if one is east or west bound respectively.
I'd be curious how hard it would be to create a "case" which could take a smartphone screen and properly reverse it and move the focus point outwards, such that you could get the same effect with your smart phone displaying off the windshield.
51 comments
[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 113 ms ] threadRefurb on ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Garmin-Head-Up-Plus-Display-HUD-Navi...
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m5...
I suspect the glass is slightly silvered (similar to fighter plane HUDs), in order to reflect the image better. Wouldn't work nearly as well projecting onto the windshield.
Perhaps I'll eat my word :).
I paid about $500 for an after market stereo with a phone holder and professional installation, so I'm clearly your target market.
$800 for something like this is waaaay too high, and this is coming from someone who actually paid good money for a similar low-tech solution.
I'm surprised that Navdy hasn't at least shut down their indiegogo presence.
I want to find a way to have a HUD asap. Actually I dreamt about making one in a different way last week and I'm a bit jealous right now.
I drive an '04 Civic, so it's all moot for me... but I'd guess that people are willing to pay ~$800 for the aesthetics of a HUD vs. the kind of phone mount you see in an UberX. Although who knows!
A heads up display isn't less distracting. If anything it is more distracting since it is more in your field of view.
The value of a heads up display is that you don't have to move your visual focus as much as with something in the dash. Better heads up systems than this one make it so you don't have to change your distance focus, everything is at infinity focus.
A heads up display still requires your attention. The improvement is in a reduction of the dead time while switching between it and your surroundings.
ps: oh .. I just clicked, it's probably the same thing as the Google Glass HUD.
And while I'm at it, it's not "line of site" either.
1) Current speed shown along with the speed limit. It gets the speed limit from onboard maps combined with using the car's cameras. If there's road construction, for example, it'll notice the signs and update the speed limit accordingly. This seems really simple, but it means never needing to look at your dash to check your speed.
2) Driving directions. Very handy when you're in places you don't know well, or in heavy traffic. The HUD is dramatically better than looking aside to your phone or the car's center console screen.
If an after-market HUD can do those, I'd seriously consider putting one in my other (older) car.
(As for implementation, that's absolutely not a simple problem.)
I'd recommend it to anyone, the annoyance is only that you need to readjust it for every driver.
I have the top trim 3.
Definitely seems smart enough to reduce or even eliminate (some cases) rear ending someone. I know a few people with eyesight systems and they speak of it highly.
Kinda surprising given how small subaru's R&D budget is compared to the bigger makers. I think subaru is in the 3rd generation or so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziMZgN60muM