There is a lot of debate over the use of wearables whilst driving, but BMW thinks that its new Mini augmented vision eyewear will enrich the experience altogether. The wearable acts a lot like the Google Glass and it’s designed to improve safety as well as provide drivers with other useful information.
Design-wise, the BMW Mini augmented vision eyewear isn’t anything near to looking like a pair of futuristic goggles. In fact, it looks like something from the 90’s and you wouldn’t even think there’s modern technology crammed on the inside. Well, the device is still a prototype and so the final design might look a lot different from what you can see in the image below.
According to BMW, the new eyewear is for use inside and outside the vehicle. And the contents displayed on it are only for the driver to see. Speaking of which, you’ll be able to get navigation information straight to your field of view, eliminating the need of glancing over at your smartphone or other devices used for navigation.
Directions will be delivered through arrows that will appear on the road and you’ll also be able to view details such as your current speed, the local limit and nearby locations of interest. This heads-up information will always be visible above the steering wheel so that it doesn’t obstruct your view of road users.
The Mini augmented vision eyewear has also been designed to assist you with parking as it searches and highlights available spaces. And with the Augmented Parking feature, you’ll be able to clearly determine the distance between you and the curb. Then there’s X-Ray View which offers a virtual view of outside the vehicle for a better look at concealed places.
As mentioned above, the BMW Mini augmented vision eyewear is just a prototype. So just don’t expect to see it hit the market anytime soon.