Virtual Visor by Bosch: A new safety system for drivers
Bosch is a German technology and engineering company. The company has numerous innovations and engineering products in the automobile sector. The company recently unveiled Bosch Virtual Visor. The new visor avoids a temporary blinding effect due to sun rays coming directly towards you from the windshield.
Furthermore, the sun glare causes a lot of accidents. The sun rays hitting your face specifically during dawn or dusk cause significant blindness. As a result, you can’t properly see oncoming traffic or any obstructions on the road, leading to dangerous accidents.
In addition, the traditional sun visor avoids sun rays but it drastically reduces your field of vision. So, this is again a safety concern. To avoid all these problems, the idea of virtual visor got traction at Bosch.
Some of the simplest innovation results in greatest impact, the virtual visor change the way driver see’s the world.
Dr. Steffen Berns. President, Bosch car multimedia.
The Background Behind Bosch Virtual Visor
Bosch is rethinking driver safety and comfort. This exercise leads to new innovation in most neglected sun visor. The sun causes twice as many car accidents as any other weather-related ones. Hence, it is a serious safety issue. The risk of a car crash is 16% higher during bright sunlight than in normal weather.
In addition, the traditional sun visor blocks the sun from your eyes but it also blocks your view. Bosch offers an innovative solution to this problem – Bosch Virtual Visor.
The technology
The Bosch Virtual Visor consists of a transparent LCD and intuitive camera. Thus, it replaces the traditional visor entirely. Bosch technology utilizes an algorithm to block sun’s glare and not the view.
The virtual visor connects driver or occupant monitoring camera with LCD. The camera tracks the sun’s casted shadow on the driver’s face. The system uses artificial intelligence to locate the driver within the image. The AI in the system also detects landmarks on the face including eyes, nose, and mouth. Thus, it identifies shadows on the face.
Furthermore, the algorithm analyzes drivers view darkening only the section of the display through which sunlight hits the driver’s eyes. The rest of the display remains transparent and doesn’t block drivers view. The new innovation involves creative use Liquid crystal technology to block specific light source. So, it decrease the dangers of sun-glare and accidents. It also increases driver comfort, visibility and safety.
Innovation at its core
The innovative culture at Bosch helps the company invent new products like Bosch virtual visor. From idea to concept phase, and even from concept to prototyping phase, the innovation culture helps in many ways.
Furthermore, Bosch uses a lean startup methodology to analyze the new ideas, market potential, and feasibility. Then, peers validate the idea and approve it for development.
We have built culture to empower our employees by putting them in driver’s seat.
Mike Mansuetti, President of Bosch in North America.
In conclusion, the Bosch virtual visor is a game-changer innovation that puts safety first in every aspect of the vehicle.
Image Courtesy: Bosch
