Perhaps it is because the reality is not as good as we would like it to be, human beings always have the problem of fantasizing. Whenever you are restless and tossing and turning at night, do you often fantasize about some impossible things? This kind of fantasy is called "dream" in the mouth of the previous generation, but with the development of the times, it has a seemingly more "scientific" name - virtual reality.
The first idea for virtual reality dates back to a World War II-era novel called Pygmalion's Spectacles. The story, in which an elfin professor invents glasses that allow people to see, hear and smell all sorts of things, is the first written depiction of the idea of virtual reality in human history.
Does the "glasses" look familiar?
Yes, it's the prototype for the VR technology that has become so popular in the last few years. The concept of virtual reality hasn't stopped since Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion, and it wasn't until HTC's VIVE was launched globally in 2016 that we finally got the chance to touch our own 'dreams' with our own hands.
Unfortunately, it was not to be. HTC?VIVE's launch did not let the VR industry soar, but gradually ushered in the winter.
The VR device's bulky "helmet" makes it very difficult to move around, and the "binocular display" inside the "helmet" has never been able to break the 1080p mark due to technical limitations. Most importantly, we can't control the display delay within 20ms. This has led to "three seconds of dizziness, five seconds of vomiting", which has become the most realistic portrayal of all VR devices.
The dream that we could hardly touch, we didn't expect it to be a 'nightmare'.
Just when VR equipment suffered a market winter, everyone thought that virtual reality will once again become a concept, another technology began to go to the world stage, which is the real protagonist of this article - AR technology.
What is AR technology?
Strictly speaking, AR isn't really 'virtual reality' because it doesn't detach from what we perceive to be reality; it's called Augmented?Reality, which seems more appropriate.
The biggest feature of this technology is that it puts the virtual world on the screen and interacts with humans.
I know it's hard to understand this sentence, let me give you an example so you can understand. Currently the most representative AR technology comes from a game - PokemonGo. Fans of the second generation will know what this is, but I'll explain it briefly to take care of most of you:
Everyone has heard of 'Pokemon', right? If you haven't, you know 'Pikachu', right? It's something that even my grandpa knows about. The game is called "PokemonGo", which can be simply understood as a "Pikachu-catching" operation. You turn on your phone's camera and walk around in the real world, encountering "virtual world" Pokemon on the way, and then catching them with a Pokeball.
These Pokemon appear as if they're real, active on your phone's screen and standing on the pavement right in front of you.
Once you look at the features of this game, you'll understand the core principle of all AR technology like 'Apple ARKit' and 'Nintendo Labo'. It's a technology that delivers 'virtual', but it's all based on 'reality'.
Unlike VR devices, AR technology has virtually no barriers to entry - a simple electronic display and a camera that doesn't need to be very clear is all that's needed. There's no need for bulky "helmets" or "snakes" of cables underfoot. In contrast, AR technology can't give you "a whole virtual world" like VR devices, but only "a few virtual objects.
Doesn't "a few virtual objects" seem weak? Don't worry, let's take a few more examples.
I don't know if you've ever played IKEA?Place, which is one of the best applications of AR technology. Without leaving your home, you can get all the furniture you need for your new house. As long as the data is accurate, you don't have to take a small ruler to IKEA to measure this and that. Spend an afternoon carefully figuring out where to place each piece of furniture, and then just place your order online.
The Google Translate app recognizes text on signs through a built-in camera and converts it into dozens of different languages. This is better than any translation program for "foreign language" tourists, right?
Human Anatomy Atlas, a 3D animated reference application designed for all healthcare professionals, students, and teachers. Included within the app are comprehensive male and female three-body gross anatomy models, selected tissue and organ microanatomies, cadaveric sections and diagnostic images with 3D cross sections, and interactive muscle and bone animations.
The mausoleum of the first emperor of Qin Shi Huang, through AR technology "recovery" of the second pit, kneeling terracotta warriors, bronze carriages and other key historical relics. Visitors will no longer be able to visit these famous sites in a leisurely manner, but will be able to truly feel the history, culture, and humanistic flavor of the sites.
This is all due to the development of AR technology.
So through the above scenarios prove that the application of AR technology is too much wider than VR devices, cell phones, game consoles, TVs and other products with a "display" as the core can apply AR technology.
And among all the products where AR technology may be applied in the future, there is another industry that is rapidly becoming intelligent and technologically advanced in recent years - the automotive industry.
What kind of changes will AR technology bring to the automotive industry?
A few days ago, the CES (International Consumer Electronics Show) 2020 Innovation Awards came out. The winner of this award was none other than Futurus, the company that brought AR technology to the automotive industry. The mixed reality panoramic display developed by the company was awarded the prize for "in-car entertainment and safety". What's even more surprising is that it's a domestic startup.
Futurus is not exactly a 'newcomer' to the industry, having entered into a strategic partnership with BMW two years ago.
The company specializes in head-up display (HUD) systems for automobiles, and this year's CES showcased light-field projection technology led by AR technology. From what has been released, the technology is already very mature. It is capable of providing drivers with a maximum viewing angle of 60°, a resolution of 80 pixels/degree, and a brightness of up to 15,000nit.
In other words, it has very good hardware parameters. And guided by these parameters are the functions of the car's safety system for hazard detection, road illumination, road navigation, entertainment system, and so on.
We can't say for sure right now when, where, and in which models this technology will appear. But it's clear that automotive AR technology has evolved beyond many people's perceptions, and is starting to go hand-in-hand with several of the application scenarios mentioned earlier.
Maybe some people will have questions, 'AR technology' head-up display than 'traditional HUD' head-up display is better in what? Isn't it all about displaying information in front of the driver's eyes?
Taking the simplest example, if you are a frequent driver, you must know about "ghost probes". Let's say you're driving down the road, and the road is clear and fast. However, the opposite lane is very congested and there is a long queue of vehicles. If someone jumps out from the opposite lane, there is a great probability that you will hit him. (The author's personal experience, we must pay attention to)
This situation is not uncommon, because the opposite lane is very congested, at this time the left side of your line of sight is almost always a blind spot. As long as you cross the road without looking, it's hard to escape the fate of either people or small animals.
The traditional HUD head-up display is basically powerless in the face of this situation. But with AR technology, the depth-of-field camera automatically determines whether someone might be crossing the road and gives the driver a hint. This new technology, which avoids danger in advance, is much more flexible and clever than automatic braking.
So AR technology is a very important advancement for the automotive industry, and I'd even venture to guess that all future autonomous driving above the L4 level will have AR displays as standard.
The concept of virtual reality may seem like it doesn't mesh with cars in the slightest, but it's curving its way into the entire automotive industry. Both VR and AR offer their own value in different contexts in the automobile. There is reason to believe that virtual reality will gradually become one of the several pillars of the automotive industry in the future.
AR technology ≠ holographic projection
This is one of the several classic misconceptions, in fact, AR technology and holographic projection are two completely different technologies.
When it comes to holographic projection, here's something else to explain: holographic projection, holographic photography, and holographic images are, again, three different things. I'm afraid I'm going to have to write a paper on this, so let's just talk about holographic projection, which is the easiest to confuse with AR technology.
If you saw the Hatsune Miku Appreciation Festival in 2010, you'll be shocked by the "little girl" who sang and danced on stage. The shock wasn't so much about how good the songs were, but mostly about how a secondary character could "stand" on a stage.
This is the prototype of holographic projection, which, unlike AR technology, doesn't require any display assistance, but rather a variety of prisms to refract a flat object into a three-dimensional object. Frankly speaking, this kind of "virtual character" in the real world is more shocking than AR technology, because you feel she is "alive".
I wrote about the FAW Pentium T77 at the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show. The car has a small holographic projection system on the center console with three built-in characters. The purpose of her existence is basically the same as that of "NOMI", which is to .... The purpose of her existence is basically the same as that of "NOMI", which is to pass the time when you are bored.
Because the Pentium T77's projection system is too small, the clarity and display effect can't be compared to the "Thank You Offering". But as far as the idea is concerned, it's a good way to get the point across to a lot of second-timers. Since then, the car has become a veritable "happy car for fat people".
The purpose of these words is because the concepts recently popularized in the automotive industry are too many and too complex: VR technology, AR technology, artificial intelligence, holograms, autonomous driving, 5G, Internet of Vehicles, V2X... Each of these explanations is not difficult to explain, but when these terms come to us, we are still prone to confuse the logic behind these technologies. The logic behind these technologies is easy to confuse.
In the face of the upcoming "automotive intelligence," let's make the logic of the new technology clear. We need to know what we need and what we don't need. This is at least better than going into a 4S store and having the salesperson give you the runaround, right?
Writing in the end
Or that: the real technology, is to let people do not feel the existence of technology.
AR or VR. The development of each technology will go through countless times of branching and re-branching, and automotive technology is just one of the many branches. With the current degree of completion of AR technology, within a few years can be applied to the car. It's not just that the technology is evolving, it's an important signal.
From CES, we can find that automotive technology is becoming more and more important, and some exhibitors are even willing to give up the opportunity of the North American Auto Show, but also to strive for the CES. this shows that intelligent, technological has been the future of the car 'real - big trend'.
Finally, I'd like to go back and talk to you about virtual reality. It has nothing to do with cars and everything to do with everyone's life.
I've always believed that virtual reality was not created to give people a shortcut to escape from life, but to encourage those who want to escape from life to pick up the courage to face difficulties again.
I would love to dodge bullets and save the world like Neo in The Matrix. But if Murphys did put two pills in front of me, I'm afraid I'd still choose the red one.
Photo courtesy of the internet.
This article comes from the author of the automobile home car family, does not represent the views of the automobile home position.