As LCD displays can’t be easily curved, their use in vehicle dashboards has been very limited. So Mitsubishi is hoping the wraparound rear projection dashboard display used in their EMIRAI concept could see widespread use in just 10 years.
Unveiled at the recent 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, the EMIRAI was only built to demonstrate Mitsubishi’s idea of what the near future of interactive dashboards could look like. Rear projection displays were used instead of LCDs because they allow for extreme curves, surrounding a driver so that information was always visible to them. And for navigating menus and the UI, a touch-friendly half-sphere display sits just to the right of the driver, even allowing them to hand write letters and characters for programming a destination.
The EMIRAI concept also incorporates advanced biometrics, keeping tabs on the driver’s physical condition through the use of heartbeat detecting doppler sensors and a camera monitoring their body temperature through their face. It’s not all about the drivers, though. The one feature of this concept I wouldn’t mind disappearing into the automotive ether is the glasses-free curved 3D displays for the backseat passengers that ensure even Top Gun pilots will get motion sickness while riding along. [DigInfo]