Military night-vision system available for Hummers

We all know that visibility declines at night, making driving a lot more dangerous. But, until now, the most you could typically do about it was to turn up your lights and go slowly. Now, however, a heat-sensing imaging system originally developed for the military is available to consumers. Nightdriver uses a bumper-mounted camera and small screen at the edge of the windshield to provide a realtime sensor image of the road ahead. Fittingly, it's currently only available as an option on another military-developed item: the Hummer. While we wouldn't mind checking this out with our car, we're still glad that the driver careening toward us in that massive Hummer may actually be able to use this to avoid squashing us like a bug.

[Via Egopedia]

[Nate MC @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Either those are some poorly aimed headlights or the driver doesn't realize that when no one else is on the road and it's dark you can use your high beams.

But who said hummer owners were intelligent.

[daaper @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

GM put this in their Cadillacs years ago

http://email.gmcanada.com/corpdb/cachq/pressrel.nsf/0/8f8b67f39a2b5d948525696d00711289?OpenDocument

[oracle @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

I beleive Honda has also had it for some time.

At least... I've been seeing it in (Australian) Honda ad's for months now.

[retro @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Either that, or they'll use the nightdriver to purposely splatter our bodies.

[Connor @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

"Either those are some poorly aimed headlights or the driver doesn't realize that when no one else is on the road and it's dark you can use your high beams.

But who said hummer owners were intelligent."

In a lot of places it is illegal to use your high beams within city limits. I know it is everywhere in Canada.

[Reverend Gadget Boy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

jesus christ! we're all gonna be driving tanks by 2020!

[sunz @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

you should only use your high beams if going fast enough that your stopping distance is beyond your view limit. ie at 50mph .. u usually do not need them .. at 90 .. well u might want them on. (depends on ur car / truck as well)

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

So, using this new product will also change the terrain too? Don't people at least try to get the same scenes when they produce these comparison shots? It's like the before and after diet pictures where one of them is totally facing another way.

[Nate MC @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Connor,

Laws concerning high beams aside, I still don't think that their example picture here is an accurate portrayal of what a driver sees at night when unassisted. Humans can see better at night than cameras can in the same spectrum of light.

[Anonymous Coward @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Now I can do a driveby without ever turning on my car lights! Sweet....

[Leboff @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

hahahah
the video says "floats just below your line of site" "a thermal camera creates a small b&w image on a head up display or HUD"

if its below your line of sight
i dont think its a hud :)

maybe only i think its funny..

-leboff

[Jerb @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

sure you can see the people walking but if your driving fast in a hummer will you actually be able to stop for them?

(on an additional note these have been in other cars for several years now, looks ,like post #2 addressed that already though)

[Andy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Visions of Arnold in T2... "I see everything."

[retro @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

By the way, did anybody realise that those images aren't the same image?

[Kidd @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

I thought this was a post about the old Atari game Night driver. Could someone post something about that....http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=N&game_id=8866

[J. @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

This function has been available for my volvo suv for 2 years now, works awesome...!!

[jim @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Dear Retro (Post 13),

Yes, people noticed that the scene changed. In fact, David presented that observation in an apt and humorous way(in Post 7).




Re: Jun 15, 2005, 9:51 PM ET by retro

By the way, did anybody realise that those images aren't the same image?

[Elias @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

All Hummers (H1) have a space next to the driver's side headlight for an IR illuminator. There are people who have installed their own aftermarket night vision systems on their civilian Hummers. This comes from the Hummer's military roots, where properly-equipped HMMWVs (Humvees) can switch to a 'black out' mode and entire convoys can travel in the dark.

-- Elias