headsup
Latest
ICYMI: Chocolate science, firefighter tech and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-876193{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-876193, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-876193{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-876193").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: You may want to switch careers after seeing the chocolate formula MIT researchers got to dig into; Georgia Tech came up with a heads up display for biometric tracking and environment information for firefighters; and Blue Origin landed its rocket for the third time, like bosses. Also someone made a drone with a functioning chainsaw and you can see the destructive video here. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Eyes-on with HeadsUP, a smartphone-powered HUD for your car
Think of it as a smartwatch, but for people who need to keep their eyes on the road. HeadsUP, one of 10 semi-finalists for Engadget's Insert Coin competition, is a heads-up display for your car, allowing you to see notifications on your dashboard. Unlike other HUDs, though, the screen is powered by an Android device, allowing you to bring these kinds of notifications to a car that doesn't already have a fancy display built in. Once you download the app, you can customize which apps show notifications on your windshield. So, there's a good deal of opportunity for customization, but the company's founders hope to make it so that you can't open apps that will distract you while driving. So, you're looking at Facebook and Twitter notifications, for instance, but not the actual apps; email notifications, but without the ability to read the whole message. Other approved apps include Google Maps (naturally), a dialer, Google voice dictation and the ability to see who's calling. Ultimately, the hardware will look quite different than what we're showing in the photos below, so bear with us and use your imaginations a bit. Though the screen you see up there is transparent (at least somewhat), the final version will be more truly see-through, and will stand up even better against harsh lighting. In fact, Arnab Raychaudhuri, the company's founder, says he expects to use the sort of transparent OLED display that Samsung has already been showing off for several years now (check out the link there for an idea of what you an expect). As for battery life, the display plugs into your car's cigarette lighter, so you won't have to worry about it going dead.
Insert Coin semifinalist: HeadsUP is a smartphone-powered HUD for your car
HeadsUP is in the extremely early prototype stage, but that hasn't stopped us from falling in love with the concept. Unlike many other heads up displays for cars, this one can be added to any vehicle and relies on your phone to power it. So there's no worry about the technology becoming hopelessly outdated. It displays the UI from your Android phone (or tablet, we suppose) on a transparent overlay on your windshield, allowing you to check your notifications or get directions while keeping your eyes glued to the road. And, rather than have to worry about taking your hands off the wheel to tap tiny navigation icons, you can simply wave your fingers at it to control the UI through gestures. Or, you can just talk to it the way you normally would using Google Now or S Voice. You can see all of the Insert Coin semifinalists here.
