Bosch Developing 3D Heads Up Display For Cars

(Image credit: Bosch)

Bosch, the renowned engineering company that makes the fancy countertop touchscreen, is developing a peripheral-free 3D display systems for vehicle dashboards according to a press release shared earlier today.

(Image credit: Bosch)

Relying on passive 3D technology, images from the instrument cluster jump into the user's line of sight when needed and disappear when not in order to keep drivers' eyes focused on the road. 

"The display’s depth of field means drivers can grasp important visual information faster, whether from an assistance system or a traffic-jam alert. Alerts that seem to jump out of the display are much more obvious and urgent," said Bosch Car Multimedia Division President Steffen Berns. As we've seen with the Nintendo 3DS, glasses-free 3D can be quite immersive when done correctly.

While we've had two-dimensional augmented reality in cars for years, this 3D project by Bosch can create an unforeseen depth for gauging distance. Not only helpful in turn-by-turn navigation, the depth features can paired with rear-view camera renders, providing a greater level of detail of car surroundings.

While Bosch does not have a solid release date in mind, they claim the tech is ready and just needs to be ordered by a manufacturer. As we've seen similar features from premium vehicle makers like Audi and Mercedes, you can expect this technology to roll out in models throughout 2020.   

Hunter Fenollol

Hunter Fenollol is test editor of consumer tech for Popular Mechanics, where he covers gaming, mixed in with hardware and other gadgets. Prior to that he was a writer and editor at Tom's Guide, covering gaming, VR, and tech deals. His work has also appeared on CNN, MSN, Yahoo Finance, and more.