Increasing driver awareness through translucency on windshield displays

When driving a car, important objects (e.g., pedestrians) are often hidden by surrounding vehicles which can delay drivers' reaction times. In this paper we therefore explore how an augmented reality enabled windshield display can improve the drivers' capabilities. By overlaying of what is behind nearby vehicles onto the own windshield, these vehicles can be rendered translucent. In a simulator experiment we evaluate the influence of three levels of opacity on driver and braking behavior. Results indicate a trend of translucency decreasing the required braking time.