New sat nav projects images of animated passengers and simulates weather

Sensors on device also monitor people inside car to anticipate their needs

A sat nav which projects images of animated characters onto car passenger seats to demonstrate the best way to drive has just been launched by Nissan.

The technology used in the device is known as "Invisible-to-Visible’", or "I2V", and its developers claim it could completely change the way we drive.

As well as projecting images of animated passengers, the technology can simulate the scenery of a sunny day outside the car.

The interactive 3D display also contains a system using sensors inside and out to anticipate upcoming obstructions.

Tetsuro Ueda, an expert leader at the Nissan Research Centre, said: “By helping you see the invisible, I2V enhances your confidence and makes driving more enjoyable.

“The interactive features create an experience that’s tailored to your interests and driving style so that anyone can enjoy using it in their own way.”

In what Nissan are calling the "Metaverse" – the virtual world that cars can connect to through the sat nav – it will even be possible for family, friends or others to appear inside the car as three-dimensional avatars to provide company or assistance.

The Metaverse maps a 360-degree virtual space around the car to provide information about things like road and intersection status, visibility, signage or nearby pedestrians.

It can also monitor the people inside the vehicle using interior sensors to better anticipate when they may need help with finding something, or a coffee break to stay alert.

And if an obstacle comes up that the car’s automatic systems cannot anticipate, like a fallen tree, control is instantly handed to expert human guides that can remotely offer assistance.

The new sat nav technology will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas from 8-11 January.

Visitors to CES can experience I2V by putting on a pair of augmented-reality goggles and stepping inside a demonstration cockpit featuring three-dimensional interfaces and displays.

Users are guided through scenarios including a tour of a city, receiving help to find an open parking space at a busy shopping centre, seeing a rainy day outside change to a sunny day inside the car, chasing a professional driver avatar to improve driving skills and exploring how I2V can see through buildings and around corners.

SWNS