Synthetic Displays and Their Potential for Driver Assistance Systems

Advanced visual display technologies typically supplement the out-of-window view with separate displays (e.g., analog speedometer or artificial horizon) or with overlays (e.g., projected speedometer or map). Studies on head-up displays suggest that altering the out-of-window view itself is superior to supplemental displays, as sensor-based information not normally visible to the driver can be included. Such novel synthetic displays have been researched for cockpit implementation but less so for driving. We discuss such view-altering synthetic displays in general, and camera–monitor systems (CMS) designed to replace rear-view mirrors as a special instance of a novel synthetic display in the automotive domain. In a standard CMS, a camera feed is presented on a monitor, but could also be integrated into the windshield of the car. More importantly, the camera feed can undergo alterations, augmentations, or condensations before being displayed. The implications of these technologies are discussed, along with findings from an experiment examining the impact of information reduction on a time-to-contact (TTC) estimation task. In this experiment, observers judged the TTC of approaching cars based on the synthetic display of a futuristic CMS. Promisingly, TTC estimations were unaffected by information reduction. The study also emphasizes the significance of the visual reference frame.