Archive notice: This article was originally published on May 22, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Working with Iconmobile, Nvidia developed an automotive development kit comprising a chip, screen and software called UI Composer. A specialised graphics processor calculates three-dimensional instrument displays in real time. “The first vehicles will be equipped with it in three to four years,” Florian Gulden, Managing Director of Iconmobile division icon incar, told pressetext.
The era of analogue fuel gauges and warning lights appears to be ending. Nvidia’s new 3D cluster technology lets car manufacturers create three-dimensional dashboard designs and arrange information in the foreground or background according to need. “The decisive factor is displaying information as required. I need a rev counter when driving sportily, but not when travelling leisurely through the countryside,” Gulden says.
The technology’s advantages lie primarily in display performance and the computing unit’s memory requirements. Manufacturers can reduce production costs because different display designs and configurations for different vehicle types can use the same hardware platform. Display prices are also falling, and drivers will be able to customise instruments to their preferences.
At that year’s CeBIT, the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute presented a revolutionary 3D cockpit display based on the autostereoscopic Free2C screen. Its effect relies on an optical illusion, while two cameras directed at the head and eyes adapt graphics to the driver’s position. This is intended to make information easier and faster to absorb and improve usability.
Such displays could complement Nvidia’s development, particularly for modern driver-assistance systems in critical situations. “Features such as lane assistance or adjustable distance control require settings and provide important information that is difficult to place in analogue instruments,” Gulden says. A long transition was expected in which analogue and digital instruments continued to merge, but there were clear signs a fully digital display would ultimately become unavoidable.
