Gizmodo Australia » hud

Build Your Own Life HUD With A Smartphone And Cardboard

John Herrman — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:34:38 +0000

A cardboard box, sliced to pieces, taped together, fastened to a pair of work goggles and capped off with an HTC Magic: this is what DIY augmented reality looks like, right now.

Which isn’t to say I won’t totally do this when I have a few spare minutes, because when you get to thinking about it, this is pretty great: our guide in the video doesn’t show off anything more than Google Street View. But imagine using this hobo helmet with camera-based apps, like Wikitude or Layar, or replacing the Magic with an iPhone and loading up the new version of Yelp? Excellent. [Twitter via Slashgear]

ARider Turns iPhone Into Heads-Up GPS Display For Cyclists

Sean Fallon — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Japan’s Ubiquitous Entertainment have developed a prototype device called ARider that allows cyclists to navigate via their iPhone 3GS using a heads up display. Of course, the whole setup seems a bit precarious for you and your precious phone.

First of all, using a HUD while cycling is inherently dangerous — but the display is retractable, so it’s not like an eye is dedicated to it at all times. Plus, the iPhone is actually mounted unprotected on to the top of your helmet. Doesn’t seem like a good idea to me, but ARider is in the prototype stage, so there is time to work out the kinks before it becomes an actual product — if it becomes an actual product. [zikkir via Core77 via Slashgear]

Is this the Futuremark 3D OpenGL-Powered Car Dashboard of the Future?

John Mahoney — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:10:00 +0000

We’ve seen all-digital concept dashboards before, but none seem as impressive 3D (or close to reality) as Futuremark’s. It scraps everything behind and to the right of the wheel in favour of a smooth, uninterrupted display onto which an OpenGL powered 3D engine renders everything you might need–instrumentation, navigation, entertainment system controls, climate controls, everything.

ParaNav GPS Unit For Parachutists Helps Marines Avoid Errors…Like This One

Sean Fallon — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:30:23 +0000

Rockwell Collins has been selected by the US Marines to deliver 3,000 of its ParaNav GPS units for parachutists. Soldiers plummeting towards earth will soon have the advantage of GPS navigation with a HUD that will help improve landing accuracy and allow for target zones to be easily changed on the fly.

The system itself consists of a GPS unit that connects to the soldiers helmet and a full-colour display attaches directly to goggles or helmet shields. It also “contains an 802.11 WiFi interface for Joint Precision Airdrop System data connectivity and custom circuitry that allows for dead reckoning calculations in the event of a GPS lock failure.” Plus it looks like the dude is rockin’ a sweet mohawk. [GPS Daily]

Informance Sunglasses Display Information in Your Peripheral Vision

Haroon Malik — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 17:59:00 +0000

We are always looking for the best ways to improve our rigorous physical workout routines, and the Informance smart sunglasses look like a worthy asset to our arsenal of workout gear. The instrument is intended for use by professional athletes, and will allow them to view vital statistics in their peripheral vision using a projected image on one of the lenses.The technology behind the device has been whittled down to a paltry 7 grams, meaning performance interference will be kept to a minimum. The physics behind the relaying of the image is rather nifty, but it involves far too many reflections from one place to another for it to make any sense to us. The image originates from a small LED display, which draws its power from a battery embedded in the glasses’ left arm.

Mike Hazel, of Cambridge Consultants, one of the firms involved in the development, pointed out such technology is usually large, bulky and exclusively for military use. Their product hopes to break from the norm. The prototype (pictured) sources its information from a wireless link between a wristwatch the athlete wears. The German company behind the display, Rodenstock, are keen to implement a larger screen than the current 160 x 120 LCD display, which will be tweaked to provide even more information.

The device is set to go into production in 2009 and a ballpark figure for the price will be around $1000-$1500. OK, so we aren’t going to use these for physical training, but if we could get them modded to relay our RSS feeds… [New Scientist]

Microsoft’s Windshield HUD Has Lots of Info, Hopefully Never Crashes

Jason Chen — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 23:10:26 +0000

This Microsoft patent describes a heads up user interface on windshields that shows useful information for the driver right where the eyes are. The patent takes information from phones, car stereos, your GPS, maps, weather, temperature, email, car instruments and probably the Zune, and places it your eyeline. Much more useful than taking a big ass table with you into the car. [Patent via Slashdot via Crave]

GlobalTop Bluetooth speedo HUD reviewed (Verdict: If you want, get)

Seamus Byrne — Mon, 28 May 2007 00:35:00 +0000

I didn’t even realise you could buy a self-installing speedometer HUD, but the crew at Digital Reviews have tested one out in a Ferrari (’80s old school) to see if its worth the trouble. I’d love a HUD – I like to watch my speedo. But installing my own?

Turns out it’s a pretty good GPS receiver too, and they’re thinking for the money that’s almost reason enough.

For mine, I see an unsightly cable running across the car. Which pretty much kills my interest. How about Bluetooth from a concealed unit up to the HUD? Have I just designed the next gen edition? -Seamus Byrne

GlobalTop Bluetooth HUD GPS HG-100 Speed Meter Reviewed [Digital Reviews Network]

Subtitle-Reading Glasses Make Cinema-Going for the Hard of Hearing Less, um, Hard

Seamus Byrne — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:41:03 +0000

Here’s something that could be a godsend for the hard of hearing who feel they are not getting their money’s worth in the movie theater. A nifty little idea thought up by some clever people at Madrid’s Carlos III University for the Spanish Center for Subtitles and Closed Captions, this gadget fixes onto a person’s glasses to give them access to subtitlesâ€”even in a subtitle-free showing.

The technology is simple: There is a computer in the cinema that emits the subtitles to within 50 meters, and also deals with their synchronization. A receptor in the glasses captures the signal and projects it onto the microscreen, which fits over the right-hand lens. It’s easy as pie to useâ€”one button turns the gadget on and off and another one restarts it. â€“ Ad Dugdale

Gafas con subtitulos a la carta [El Mundo]