Land Rover Debuts invisible car technology

Land Rover has been developing technology to give its drivers a digital vision of the terrain ahead by making the front of the car 'virtually' invisible. Just when you thought, all the interesting things were dealt with, Land Rover pops in with a surprise.

Cameras located in the vehicle's grille capture data used to feed a Head-Up Display, effectively creating a 'see-through' view of the terrain through the bonnet and engine bay, thus providing the driver visual assistance. The technology, named Transparent Bonnet by its creators, shows how advanced technology will take Land Rover's unrivalled capability to the next level.

The technology enables a driver climbing a steep incline or manoeuvring in a confined space to see an augmented reality view capturing not only the terrain in front of the car but also the angle and position of the front wheels.

Dr Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology for Jaguar Land Rover, said "As our vehicles become more capable and autonomous off-road, we will ensure the driver has the confidence to allow the car to continue to progress, over any terrain. We are developing new technologies including the Transparent Bonnet to give drivers an augmented view of reality to help them tackle anything from the toughest off-road route to the tight confines of an urban car park."

Working on the same lines Land Rover will unveil the Discovery Vision Concept car, which is a design and technology showcase at the New York International Auto Show on 16th April 2014. We've told you about this earlier and we clearly are eager to see it in the flesh.