Why on earth would you project this onto the actual road instead of just some HUD for the driver?

This whole thing seems like an absolutely insane idea to me from the get-go but the comments in here seem to really like the idea. I can't think of anything worse than light-projection systems from cars onto the real world for almost anything.

The only one I'm onboard with is something more visually indicating that a car is backing up. Plenty of vehicles have audio cues so a visual one makes sense to me.

But ideas that cars should project a warning to pedestrians that a car is going to turn blows my mind. How about you warn the operator that they might kill someone?

Cars already have mandatory lighted equipment to warn that they are going to turn, but too many operators seem to forget how that's supposed to work. I can't imagine how drivers are going to figure out how to communicate more complicated information if they can't remember how to use a little lever.

This isnt for the driver of the projecting vehicle, it is for everyone else around them.

And as many wrecks I have seen involving idiots invading safe stopping distances, this is a good idea, if they could make it work well in daytime.

Yeah a block of light in front of the car which overlaps with the lane merge projection from grandpa who left his blinker on conflicting with someone's navigation projection who needs to be in the right lane yesterday conflicting with someone's broken projection for pedestrians on a stroad sounds like a fucking hellscape.

People can't use blinkers correctly or keep their headlights and tailights in working order. I'm sure expensive light projections that link with software and a onboard computer that was out of date the day it was made is going to work splendidly.

>involving idiots invading safe stopping distances

What makes you think this will stop them?

Do you really think those idiots will pay even the slightest bit of attention to that stuff?

Personally, this looks like it will just add additional visual pollution to an already visually polluted landscape.

Assuming that the vehicle has empty road in front of them, at night, with sufficient contrast.

Many people drive vehicles during the day, on a road with other vehicles, or other competing lighting sources.

What is better is an indication system that works in all conditions, rather than requiring the driver to look different places under different scenarios.

Indicator lamps placed high upon a dashboard work in 100% of driving conditions and also allows the driver to remain looking in the correct direction.

The only thing they lack is marketing gee-whiz favor.

HUDs already exist in cars to do something very similar without potentially confusing symbols that others will see.

But other drivers can see it as well. It could easily draw their attention and thus make them more distracted.

Cars aren’t always alone on rural roads at night like the pics in the article.

Why not use a heads-up display on the windscreen? Some automakers already do this and it should avoid most of the concerns around projecting outside the vehicle.

Use a HUD.

I had a 90s Cadillac that had a FLIR HUD display. It was a little gimmicky but pretty cool and better than polluting the surroundings.