Porsche Jumps Into Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is a growing thing, and it’s going to come into your car. Porsche recently announced it has invested in WayRay, a Swiss tech startup. The company specializes in holographic augmented reality head-up displays.

I’ll be honest: I really hate most HUDs. They can be hard to see in direct sunlight, you still have to look at the bottom of the windshield, and a lot of times the info they provide is only somewhat helpful. Yeah, I’m being nit-picky, but when compared to what WayRay is working on, current HUDs are horrible.

Hyundai is also a stakeholder in WayRay, along with various investment funds. What the company hopes to develop is windshields with an overlay not too dissimilar to your view in Forza Motorsport. Right in your line of sight could be a guideline with braking prompts, measured g-forces, and track applications like race position and ghost cars for hot laps.

Already, WayRay has a projection system you can use in any car. WayRay believes it could be key in automating driving, among other things. It all sounds like science fiction now, but just remember that 20 years ago smartphones would’ve blown all our minds.