Heads-up displays (HUDs) allow vehicles to communicate with the driver by clearly presenting messages and instructions to promote safety and driver awareness. IDTechEx’s report, Heads-up Displays 2024-2034: Technologies, Players, Opportunities, explores the origins of the technology sector and the requirements and materials used to achieve the highest-quality performance.
With HUDs, communication between passengers and the vehicle is more transparent, making the journey safer. Information is available in 1.0 seconds rather than 1.8 seconds when referring to head-down displays behind the wheel.
Customization is also highly desirable for drivers when choosing how they interact with their vehicles. Huds can allow drivers to select which information is displayed and potentially act as a selling point for cars offering this technology. Some information, including vehicle status, is always available on display, while infotainment information becomes available as needed.
Among the main requirements for HUD technologies are a high luminance of over 10,000 units, an operating temperature between -40 ~ and 85 degrees Celsius, and an operating lifetime of more than 10,000 hours without degradation.
The information provided by the displays needs to be sparse, highly transparent, and placed in an optimum position, such as in the driver’s line of sight, as outlined in IDTechEx’s report. This will ensure that the information does not obstruct the driver’s view while being transparent enough to draw attention.
HUD technology must be highly scalable, which will also require cost-effectiveness and low power consumption to make it suitable for different vehicles.
HUDs are known to be expensive to make and employ, and while they are becoming mainstream for some car manufacturers, they remain limited in use for others. Using the windshield glass as a display screen, small images associated with direction and speed only have a focal distance of a few meters and don’t yet create an immersive or necessarily aesthetic experience which may be desired in high-end vehicles in the future.
HUD Origins and the Future of Evolving Displays
Pilots in fighter planes are described in IDTechEx’s report as amongst the first to experience the long-evolved technology of HUDs. They enabled messages and information such as altitude and speed to reach their eyeline while flying without dipping their heads. Technology entered the automotive sector in the late 80s and has been developing ever since.
In the future, augmented reality (AR) features combined with HUDs will display text and graphics at varying focal distances. These features could be compatible with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) to enhance vehicle safety and autonomy. However, these developments are predicted to be expensive and not mature.
IDTechEx’s report outlines the readiness levels of various technologies used for heads-up displays and the benefits and barriers to their use. From now on, developments will focus on larger displays and better resolution alongside high luminance and low limitations on virtual image distance. Images will be able to align with the real world.
