Jaguar Land Rover Develops Transparent Pillar and 'Follow Me' Car Navigation Concepts

Jaguar Land Rover has launched a research project to develop technologies that will offer drivers a 360-degree view out of their vehicle, uninterrupted by the pillars that support the roof. This is to help get a clear view of pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles around the car.

A screen would be embedded in the surface of each pillar inside the car and would take a live video feed from cameras covering the angles outside the car usually obscured in the blind spots created by the A-, B- and C-pillars. These transparent pillars with an advanced high quality Heads-Up display will alert the driver of any the movement and this will be highlighted to the driver with an on-screen halo moving across the car's virtual windscreen.

In case the driver indicates to change direction, when they move their head to look over their shoulder during an overtake manoeuvre, or as the vehicle approaches a junction, the system would automatically make the left or right-hand side pillars transparent.

Dr Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology, Jaguar Land Rover, said, "Our ultimate aim is to reduce road accidents and enhance the urban driving experience. The Jaguar Land Rover research team is developing this technology to improve visibility and to give the driver with the right information at the right time. If we can keep the driver's eyes on the road ahead and present information in a non-distracting way, we can help drivers make better decisions in the most demanding and congested driving environments."

They are addressing another thing; an efficient way to navigate, and we will all agree that it is to follow someone who knows the best route. The Jaguar Land Rover team is developing 'Follow-MeGhost Car Navigation',which projects an image of a vehicle in front of the driver's car for them to follow, turn by turn, to their destination.

While all this technology is still in the works, we can say for sure, that JLR is on the right track when it comes to the future of road safety and connected cars.