Japanese boffs set to eliminate blind spots

TOP BOFFS at the University of Tokyo have cooked up some technology which is set to wipe out blind spots for drivers, letting them see through vehicles as if they were invisible, reports Nikkei.

It works like this: a video camera’s mounted on the vehicle which captures images from the street in real time. While this is going on, signals are sent to headgear worn by the driver, then projected onto a piece of special cloth in the interior of the car – making it seem as if the driver is looking right through the car onto the street.

The researches are hoping that the kit will improve road safety, giving drivers a better chance of seeing pedestrians and other vehicles in blind spots. That’s if they’re okay with wearing corny headgear, of course.

Cars aren’t the only application for the technology, though, says the research team. It could be used on helicopters, letting the pilot see directly through the floor. I think I just got vertigo. µ