oregonsharkman

First, let me clarify - I am a big fan of Head Up Displays. In fact, I am actually a design engineering manager for the largest HUD company in the world (Collins Aerospace Head up Guidance Systems). Second, I admire the Corvette team and their industry (auto) leading attempt to integrate the HUD idea into a production car.

That being said, the current (and previous ) head up displays in the Corvette are little more than a gimmick. Yes, I've spent some time driving (including on a track - Spring Mountain) with the HUD implementation in the C7 and it's not impressive. Here's why:

1) It projects WAY too low on the windshield -- meaning you can't look through it and continue to focus on your natural field of vision. When I was on the track with a helmet on, I found myself constantly having to duck my head to make any use of it while focusing on driving. I actually found the bright color display of the race mode tachometer to be a better indictor in my peripheral vision. A real HUD system should be located (and adjustable) in your direct line of sight and focused to infinity so that your eyes do not have to refocus between the terrain and your HUD image.

2) It's not conformal in any way to the outside environment. In a real HUD system, symbology, markers, and directional cues are correctly overlaid on the outside environment. Imagine a GPS cue that shows an arrow pointed down the street to the left and as you approach it, it conforms and moves with the outside environment. This also would be hugely useful on a track as you could see you entry and exit path overlaid on the track. You could also set any target location through GPS and you would have head up cues, again overlaid conformally to the outside environment.

3) There is no vision system associated with the current HUD. Avionics HUD systems are integrated with external cameras and sensors including Infrared sensors that can "see through weather" and project the processed video onto the HUD aligned with the outside. Basically your are looking through the dark/fog/rain/snow with mixed video sensors and projecting it onto the HUD so the driver can see through those conditions.

I could go on (and on), but my point is not so much to rip on the current system, but to conjecture that there could be a significant upgrade to the HUD system in the C8. If the Corvette team continues to buy into the HUD idea, we may just up with a real visual guidance system in the next few years.

Then again, if it's just another little "edge of the window reflection with speed, tach and station presets", I'll bail on the HUD option

mitchydkid

Sounds like you are really pushing for that over 100K price tag. (jk)

Skid Row Joe

Having HUD, to me, is requisite in owning a modern C7 or C8. I wouldn't own one without it.

Mikec7z

i dont see why you have to duck your head. you can move it up and down with the controls. I dont like it out in front of me on the street, i it distracts me, i like it as low as possible on the window so i can glance down at it.

I guess different strokes for different folks.

Your third point, I like... Mercedes uses this IR method.

PKI

Only HUD that I have used is the one on our X5. No, it's not interactive, but it's better than info accessed on the dash. When the cost of electronics make your version the cost of the BMW night vision, I'm in. Until that time, we'll make do. Pat

BIG Dave

I’ve had HUD in my C5, C6 and C7 Corvettes. I believe the goal was to allow the driver to keep his/her eyes on the road without the need to look all the way down at the dashboard. Regarding the OP’s statement that he had to constantly duck his head to see it, that sounds like he had it adjusted too low. I never have to “duck my head” to see it, I just shift my focus slightly lower, but not nearly as low as I have to when looking at the dashboard in my Jeep. I suggest simply using the HUD adjustment lever on the left side of the dash to move the projection higher.

07MontyRed

You might work for Collins, but you obviously have never used an older aviation HUD. Synthetic vision is new and installed in very few aircraft yet. Most aircraft HUDs for the past 40 years have not had any of the features you list and most cost considerably more than a C7. Most used separate combining glass to project on. So your comparisons are not valid. Yes, some avionics HUDs are immensely capable and very expensive but I do not plan on asking for a $100K HUD for my $70K car. It would be nice if the Corvette HUD display was a bit higher the windscreen but the geometry of the car does not allow that, so they do the best they can.

RapidC84B

I turn mine off on the street, don't care for it. On the track I used it for the shift light feature and to check speed in corners w/o having to look all the way down. I have no real complaints.

Rapid Fred

What the OP describes would annoy me greatly. In my dictionary, it would be the very definition of a “gimmick!”

I don’t want anything, no matter how sophisticated, between me and the real world when I’m driving. I’m used to glancing at rear and side mirrors; adding the current HUD, which lets me pick up tach, speedo and lateral g’s at a glance, is perfect. The Navi integration also works well for me.

NY09C6

I have no desire for a HUD system. I have it in my current car and I do not use it.

BEAR-AvHistory

Agree. Cost & required data for driving a car are well met with the currently available HUD's. The car companies have been adding features as new versions are released without blowing up the systems pricing. Don't need a HUD that costs more than the car.

EDIT: FWIW would not buy a new car that did not have one.

oregonsharkman

Actually I am very familiar with all of the old aviation HUDs all the way back to the 727 CRT HUD and the F-15 glareshield HUD. I'm not talking about synthetic vision (Global database of terrain and structure overlaid on the environment) I am talking about Enhanced Vision (IR cameras) which has been around for well over a decade. You are right about the combiner glass, but that is only one way of doing it.

The reason the aviation HUDs cost as much as a C7 is because of the huge amount of process and documentation needed to certify it as a flight display with the governing bodies (FAA and etc) as well as the crazy tight tolerances needed in the design. We actually prototyped an aviation style HUD for GM about 12-13 years ago and it had a cost target (to GM) of about $300.

oregonsharkman

I know how to adjust the HUD. At maximum height adjustment, it's still just over the hood line. I'm just over 6' tall, so maybe it works better for shorter drivers.

Shaka

HMDs are used for fighters. HUDs are good for carrier landings but that'a bout all. Useless in cars unless you are straight and level.

MikeG37

For something that advanced to function accurately wouldn't a driver (or pilot) need something on their head that'd give the system the information it needed to know where on the windshield it need to be projecting? Or could it be done with an array of sensors making those measurements?

ArmchairArchitect

The HUD in Corvettes is already quite good, and give GM some credit as they were the first to put HUD in a production car!

p3pilot

Exactly. I fly the 737NG and Max and our HUD doesn't have any of the wiz bang stuff he mentioned. Also, almost everybody finds it to be a distraction and probably wouldn't use it at all if it wasn't required.

badhabit_wb

I agree. A greater range of adjustability would satisfy all of us. I'm 6'3 and I have to look down to see it as well. I use it more on track than on the street. I think maybe some of the non-pilots don't completely understand where you're coming from.

gearup72

Love this topic - I have experience with using HUD by flying a Gulfstream 650. I have previously owned a C6. There are some differences between the aircraft HUD and the one in the Corvette. In the aircraft the symbology is projected on a Combiner glass which is not part of the windshield. The combiner is rotated down from the ceiling. The pilot must adjust the seat so your eyeballs are in the proper position relative to the combiner (there are alignment sight ***** to help). This ensures that the pilot can see all of the symbology and that the outside world is conformal.

I don't think a combiner in the Corvette would be practical. I am 6'2'' and it might be difficult to adjust my eyeballs to be in the right spot. Also, the combiner might interfere with the front airbags and not be much fun to hit in an accident.

I like what I have seen from the C7 HUD. I just hope they can make little improvements for the C8. The idea of having the HUD display in the line of sight might not be a good idea for the general driving public. There was a study of the HUD in aircraft. On approach to landing in the simulator, they had an aircraft taxi onto the runway in front of a landing aircraft. 4 out of 10 pilots did not see the aircraft on the runway. This study noted that the human brain can't do two tasks at once but rather quickly switches between tasks. A HUD display in front of the drivers eyes would probably provide more distractions and cause more crashes...

Zaro Tundov

Sounds like you want an augmented reality windshield, and GM has one in development:


It uses lasers to define road features in low visibility and can display an infrared night vision image on the windshield.