In 2004, BMW was the get-go automotive manufacturer to utilize a color Head-Up Display which projected driving-related data directly in the commuter's line of sight. The next generation Head-Upwards display arrived in 2011 and featured this time fifty-fifty more full-color graphics, a pregnant improvement over the first generation.

Every bit role of the BMW Innovation Days Connected 2011 document issued to the public, the visitor begins to reference a new generation Head-Up Display that acquires "contact counterpart" functionality. BMW says that "this is a technique whereby virtual "markings" are superimposed on existent objects in the external surround, so that navigation information or data from the driver assistance systems can be displayed at exactly the right points on the commuter'due south view of the route scene. Navigation instructions tin exist blended into the route, and vehicles or safety-relevant objects can be highlighted or marked in context."

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In the smartphones and mobile globe, contact analogue stands for Augmented Reality and can be seen integrated in many mobile apps.

BMW also says the contact analogue displays are a special class of augmented reality. The displayed information is integrated into the external environment in the correct perspective and at the actual point or points in the scene to which it relates, and then that effectively the data appears to exist "attached" to the external objects.

Some of the advantages of contact analog displays are the ability to display information right in the driver'due south direct line of sigh, with the same information overlaid on the objects. The driver continues to remain focused and distractions are avoided.

"With the contact counterpart HUD, we place the information at exactly that point in the commuter'south field of view where information technology belongs and is required. The commuter no longer has to correlate abstract information to the concrete driving situation. Since the display is directly congruent with the real world, we tin can also selectively directly the
driver's attention to specific information or hazards, so that he tin respond quickly and in an appropriate manner." (Dr Bernhard Niedermaier, Caput of Man-Motorcar Interaction at BMW Group Inquiry and Applied science)

To further demonstrate the advantages of this new technology, BMW shares 2 scenarios:

"The starting time scenario shows the possibilities of contact analogue display applications in the field of in-car navigation. Whenever a navigation manoeuvre needs to be performed, such as turning at an intersection, the organization presents the information in such a manner that it appears to blend with the road itself. The driver can proceed his eye on the road throughout, and intuitively drives in the right direction.

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Since the driver is better informed, he is able to drive more proactively and likewise more confidently.

Contact analogue navigation works similar this: the navigation system calculates the optimal route based on digital road map data. If lane-level information is available, the route is further refined and the necessary lane manoeuvres are computed. Positioning data continuously supplied past GPS and vehicle
sensor systems allows the vehicle to notice the lane information technology is currently travelling in and compare information technology with the optimal lane for the given route. If the vehicle is not in the right lane for an upcoming manoeuvre, the system computes a 3D model of the road situation ahead using the signals from the camera arrangement, and superimposes the instructions congruently on the external scene.

A 2nd application scenario for contact counterpart displays is in the field of driver assist systems. Hither the contact analogue functionality provides the driver with a improve understanding of what is going on around him and makes information technology easier to blot highly specific instructions. For example if the driver activates Active Prowl Control with collision warning, the organization non only shows the commuter – in the real-world environment – which vehicle is currently serving as the "lead vehicle", information technology also shows the preset following distance, superimposed directly onto the road surface. Instructions to the driver to intervene are therefore more easily and more apace understandable. Other information that could potentially be "projected" in this fashion includes lane boundaries, lane departure warnings, night highlighting of pedestrians non readily visible to the commuter, and fifty-fifty recommendations for evasive manoeuvres into other lanes, consummate with marked-out paths."

BMW is currently performing tests inside simulators and in that location is no official word on when the technology will be available in mass product vehicles.