Driving may become more like a video game for those with vision challenges
An interesting article on windshield enhancement may eventually have ramifications for our students with vision concerns.
"General Motors Corp. researchers are working on a windshield that combines lasers, infrared sensors and a camera to take what's happening on the road and enhance it, so aging drivers with vision problems are able to see a little more clearly...GM's new windshield won't improve their vision, but it will make objects stand out that could otherwise go unnoticed...It is enhancing just a few objects that are already in a driver's view, not splashing distracting information onto the glass...For example, during a foggy drive, a laser projects a blue line onto the windshield that follows the edge of the road. Or if infrared sensors detect a person or animal in the driver's path during a night drive, its outline is projected on the windshield to highlight its location. It's possible because of a transparent coating on the windshield that lights up when struck by ultraviolet light. Of course, much more goes into it than that. Sensors have to determine the position of the car in relation to the road, while other devices track the driver's head and eye movement to make sure the image on the windshield isn't skewed. The technological issues mean it probably will be a while before the view through the windshield of a Buick looks anything like a pilot's head-up display in an F-16."
My favorite one? "If a driver is speeding, a pink box frames an approaching speed limit sign to draw the driver's attention." To read more, click on http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/22/business/NA-FEA-US-Windshields-Older-Drivers.php