Mini Shows Augmented Driving Goggles

BMW has developed a pair of in-car goggles for tech-savvy drivers that include a head-up display, navigation prompts, messaging, an x-ray view of the vehicle, and augmented parking, the automaker has announced.

The MINI Augmented Vision goggles were shown to a small group of media members in San Francisco in coordination with their world premier at Auto Shanghai 2015. The goggles give drivers of MINI vehicles an enhanced experience that's "more enjoyable and even more exciting," according to BMW.

The eyewear can be controlled via steering-wheel buttons inside the vehicle and through touchpad controls on the right temple outside the vehicle. The eyewear adds the following functions:

• Destination entry for navigation and transfer to vehicle: Selecting destination points when outside the vehicle, then transferring them to the vehicle.
• First Mile / Last Mile: Navigation display from the current location to the vehicle or from the vehicle to the final destination.
• Head-up display functions: Speed, speed limits, and other functions in the eyewear so the information is in the driver’s primary field of view, with data always shown above steering wheel so that no road users are concealed from sight.
• Contact-analogue navigation and points of interest: Reality is enhanced by contact-analogue navigation arrows on the road, as well as points of interest along the route, such as open parking spaces.
• Messaging: A small icon is shown in the eyewear when a message is received. The SMS/message can be read by the car while driving for safety.
• X-Ray View / transparent vehicle parts: A virtual view through parts of the vehicle (such as A-pillars and doors) serves to render external areas or objects concealed by the car visible.
• Augmented Parking: This facilitates parking by projecting the images from a camera housed in the farside mirror into the eyewear. In this way, the distance from the curb can be clearly and easily ascertained.

BMW hasn't announced a timetable to offer the goggles.