
Navdy: HUD for your car - adambratt
https://www.navdy.com
======
tshile
Using a HUD to read/write texts/tweets? It seems like the creators missed all
the studies about the dangers of distracted driving.

And pilots use HUD's so this must be safe? That would potentially hold water,
if the pilots were using huds to tweet, text, and select music while
landing... instead they're using huds to display important information...

I like the technology, I just don't like the suggested use cases for it...

~~~
drbawb
Precisely. I've long wanted to build a HUD that could project on all the glass
surfaces of my car. If I were building a HUD, it should be giving me a "heads
up."

The windshield would have navigational aids, but any surface in the car could
be used to display hazards!

I want my car to identify if a pedestrian is present (highlighted in yellow)
or if they appear to be crossing my heading (highlighted in red.)

I want my car to tell me if there is cross-traffic that is about to run a red
light. I'd like to see speed and distance indicators for other vehicles on the
road.

I'd love to see the speed of traffic I'm merging into. When I glance over my
shoulder to check traffic I can see: !! 64MPH | 72MPH !! in yellow, indicating
I should merge faster if I'm able.

If my car detects emergency vehicles or construction vehicles the HUD could
draw attention to it in my windows or mirrors.

\---

Perhaps my HUD could identify vehicles occupied by "Tweeters" so I can be sure
to avoid them?

We're making self-driving cars... there are countless ways to apply that same
technology to human-driven cars that would make the roads safer for everyone.
If the best they can come up with is song selection and social media: I think
their priorities are a bit misaligned.

~~~
antocv
But I already have all that information. And I dont have any HUD or other
displays anywhere.

I can see the speed of traffic Im merging into, pedestrians, change of
speed/flow of traffic ahead of me, and if a pedestrian appears to be willing
to cross infront of me.

Without even having to think about it, I can just notice when there is
emergency vehicles around or construction vehicles or any other danger-sign on
the road. I can be talking to my passangers, listening to music or day-
dreaming but would not miss any signs - its in the automated system already.

For me, having those kind of HUD stuff would just be even more redundant
information to learn to automatically filter out/make judgements on.

In fact, I think such a heads-up-displays everywhere with color information,
would just confuse drivers more and lead to more accidents - now you not only
have to keep eyes on the road/let brain handle the information and do its
thing - but also interpret and learn the various displays and what they mean,
but also to confirm what they display to the sorrounding. More info to process
- more error prone decisions.

~~~
alandarev
Where are you residing? I am sure the rest of the world could learn from
crash-free place you live in.

In my 18's I though the same, why all those precautions? I can write SMS and
not kill anyone! Truth is, I was lucky not to run into emergency situation
while being distracted by mobile.

There is very little risk in regular circumstances, but when unlikely events
overlap bad things happen. Blown tire on a motorway, cyclist falling to the
middle of a road, uncontrolled vehicle approaching you, and other infinitely
many rare possibilities.

P.S. highlighting pedestrians might be life-saving during minimal vision
weather.

~~~
hoektoe
I would like the following from a HUD:

Outline a car that a standing still or rapidly decreasing speed. This would
reduce mundane traffic accidents due to perception errors.

Show road lanes, especially in poor visibility.

Help nightblind users to drive at night

------
100k
HUD navigation could be cool, but anything that takes attention from driving
like showing text messages is a terrible idea and should be banned. Distracted
driving is incredibly dangerous. Even hands free phone calls are distracting.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phones_and_driving_safet...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phones_and_driving_safety#Handsfree_device)

~~~
kaoD
Well, if hand free phone calls are distracting because you're holding a
conversation, we should ban talking to your passengers on a car too, right?
Even driving with passengers should be banned just in case, and all vehicles
be single-seaters or have soundproof glass between the driver and passengers.

Music is pretty distracting to some people. Car stereos should definitely be
banned too.

To be fair, both having a conversation and listening to music keep me _alert_
when driving. Yes, it might also produce cognitive overload, but in my case
it's definitely better than cognitive underload (boredom).

You know what's by far the most distracting thing to me while driving?
Constantly checking my speedometer. In some areas I do it constantly, out of
fear of getting a speeding ticket. I don't even want to speed!

~~~
senorprogrammer
This argument fails repeated testing. It turns out that human-human
conversation involves both parties paying attention to the environment and co-
operating to insert pauses and situational awareness. In essence, h-h
communication in a car requires much less cognitive load on the driver because
a large part of it becomes shared.

We've all seen this fail at times too. That's when the driver has to tell the
passenger to stop talking so they can concentrate on directions or signage,
etc.

~~~
kaoD
In fact it's addressed right below the linked section, but it contradicts your
stance.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phones_and_driving_safet...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phones_and_driving_safety#Comparisons_with_passenger_conversation)

Quoting:

> In contrast, the University of Illinois meta-analysis concluded that
> passenger conversations were just as costly to driving performance as cell
> phone ones.

> AAA ranks passengers as the third most reported cause of distraction-related
> accidents at 11 percent, compared to 1.5 percent for cellular telephones.

> A simulation study funded by the American Transportation Research Board
> concluded that driving events that require urgent responses may be
> influenced by in-vehicle conversations, and that there is little practical
> evidence that passengers adjusted their conversations to changes in the
> traffic.

~~~
mgkimsal
both of the studies referenced there were from a decade ago - 2004 and 2006. I
wonder what the numbers would be today, given that there's so many more
cellphones on the road.

The AAA reference is from 2001, and the document it links to is gone.
Archive.org link:
[https://web.archive.org/web/20061020134705/http://www.aaapub...](https://web.archive.org/web/20061020134705/http://www.aaapublicaffairs.com/Main/Default.asp?CategoryID=3&SubCategoryID=35&ContentID=42)

Haven't seen any actual numbers yet, but the 'human conversation' thing - 11%
- how many of those involved children in the back seats distracting the
driver?

~~~
viggity
not only are there more phones on the road. they're almost all touch screen
(no tactile response = more likely to look at it to use it) and they're almost
all smart phones, so morons like the one in the video can "compose tweets"
while driving.

------
dchuk
I'm not sure that showing off how your new product can make texting while
driving easier is the best idea. The whole hands free debate isn't about
literally keeping your hands free of objects, it's the psychological
distraction of texting/talking/browsing that causes the safety issues. If it
were just about keeping your hands free to stay on the steering wheel, people
with one arm wouldn't be allowed to drive.

~~~
vnchr
If that were absolutely true, eating while driving would be debated as heavily
or more.

~~~
DanBC
Depends where you are, but it is debated. See for example this case:
[http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-
oxfordshire-23944993](http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-23944993)

[http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-
suffolk-19597446](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-19597446)

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4788910.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4788910.stm)

[http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-
humber-22290619](http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-22290619)

Etc etc

------
josephwegner
Just need to share my first reaction...

Your hero image with an example of a HUD should probably _not_ be a prompt to
watch a video. That's just about the most dangerous thing that a HUD could ask
you to do.

~~~
mikek
Agreed. After seeing this I assumed that this was a farce site.

------
declan
I'm a pilot and was surprised that the Navdy video invoked the "pilots use it
-- it's safe" language.

Um, when I'm flying a plane, I don't:

\- have other 4,000-lb planes 3' away that I could collide with after a
moment's distraction

\- compose tweets by speaking aloud while staring at a screen, and then when
the voice recognition system doesn't work properly, have to retry multiple
times while staring at the screen

\- talk on the phone to my mother

\- play music while navigating through crowded airspace (some pilots do on
longer cross-country trips, of course)

\- need to have my airspeed projected in front of me (maybe on takeoff it
would be useful)

\- have apps pop up notifications directly in my field of vision when I'm
trying to focus on one of those 4,000-lb objects that's about to collide with
me

\- have some of those other 4,000-lb objects near me controlled by people who
are composing tweets, etc. rather than focusing on the task of flying

What I _do_ want to be doing is scanning the airspace around me for other
planes, scanning my instruments to make sure all is well, etc...

Navdy seems like a good HUD implementation from a technological standpoint,
and unlike other folks here I don't think it should be banned. But assuring
everyone it's safe because "pilots use it" seems like a statement made
without, well, talking to pilots first.

~~~
nzealand
I see a lot of folks holding their iPhone while driving on congested freeways.

They hold the phones down low, to avoid tickets.

I feel Navdy is an improvement on those situations, but I still don't like
where things are headed.

------
caio1982
When I read "HUD for your car" I imagined a super cool HUD like the ones in
nearly-sci-fi jets showing actually useful info about my crazy driving skills,
other objects in sight, about routes and parking stuff, and about the car
itself. I really didn't see it coming when it showed people using social media
apps. But it's alright as long as it makes HUD displays more popular anyway...
I guess!

~~~
drbawb
>showing actually useful info about my crazy driving skills,...

Thanks for the laugh :-)!

This was my first thought as well. I saw a Mercedes the other day with the
"lane change assist."

Rather hilariously: I was behind the Mercedes at a right turn, and you could
see the "danger" light in her mirror indicating that my little sedan was in
the blindspot of her enormous GLK.

(Ironically the tech itself was a distraction _to me_ because I was trying to
figure out where the sensor package was, and how sensitive the instrumentation
was. I had never seen it that closely before -- perhaps I should go to a
Mercedes dealership.)

I want that sort of tech on every glass surface of the car. Anywhere I can see
a vehicle: I should be able to see "potential hazard information."

------
mattholtom
Glad I'm not the only one that thinks driving should be a full time activity.
If you don't have a personal chauffeur, you are not important enough to need
your phone while driving. If you do have a personal chauffeur, text away
Mr./Mrs./Ms. Important.

------
Yaggo
My 2010 Prius has little monochrome HUD showing speed, navigation info, and
power consumption (configurable). Although less fancy than Navdy, it's really
useful because you will always see the road in background. Should become a
standard in every car.

------
gcb0
having felt prey to the "ok google now" scam i will pass this one.

i know i will only be able to control minimal navigation and calls options.

no other app will ever play along. e.g. you skype calls will either block
everything or only show up on your phone screen... to the point integration is
so bad you still have your phone on the holder next to that screen and in the
end you are using your phone directly more than that projector.

~~~
drbawb
Why does it have to be that way, though?

Why can't I just have a list of "high priority apps" and "low priority apps",
or even just "highest priority" and "everything else."

It's not something an app can solve; but I personally spend a long time trying
to ensure that my phone is safe to use as a navigational aid. Currently this
usually includes voiding my warranty (to root, jailbreak, etc.) so that I can
bypass the stock dialer. -- That just feels _wrong_ to me. I should not be
voiding my warranty to make a device safer.

------
buro9
As soon as I saw that it combines OBD II information from the car with turn-
by-turn information from Google Maps... and they offer a 30-day money-back
guarantee upon receiving it... sold.

------
uptown
States have laws regarding this stuff. So let's look at California, where this
company is based:

California

Video Screen Restriction Hands-free Cell Phone Use Only Ban on Texting While
Driving Restrictions on Cell Phone Use for Novice Drivers and School Bus
Drivers

Law: Prohibits any person from driving a motor vehicle if a video monitor, or
a video screen or any other similar device that displays a video signal is
operating and is located forward of the driver's seat or is visible to the
driver. Provides exceptions for emergency equipment. Statute: California
Vehicle Code §2890 (West 2004) Penalties: No Penalty Specified.

Law: Prohibits the use of handheld cell phones while driving. Allows
exceptions in emergency situations. Statute: California Vehicle Code §12810.3
and §23123 Penalties: $20 for first offense, $50 for each subsequent offense.

Law: A person shall not drive a motor vehicle while using an electronic
wireless communications device to write, send or read a text-based
communication Statute: California Vehicle Code 23123 (2009) Penalties:
Infraction - $20 first offense, $50 for subsequent.

Law: School and transit bus drivers and drivers younger than 18 will be banned
for all cell phone use while driving (regardless of hands-freeheadset).
Statute: 2007 California Statutes, Chap. 214 Penalties: $20 for first offense,
$50 for each subsequent offense.

[http://www.ce.org/Consumer-Info/Car-Electronics/Got-
It/State...](http://www.ce.org/Consumer-Info/Car-Electronics/Got-It/State-
Laws-for-Electronics-Use-in-the-Car.aspx#6)

~~~
weavie
> Law: Prohibits any person from driving a motor vehicle if a video monitor,
> or a video screen or any other similar device that displays a video signal
> is operating and is located forward of the driver's seat or is visible to
> the driver. Provides exceptions for emergency equipment. Statute: California
> Vehicle Code §2890 (West 2004) Penalties: No Penalty Specified.

Really? So are Sat Navs banned in California?

~~~
uptown
There's more information here:

[https://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc27602.htm](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc27602.htm)

Excerpt:

27602\. (a) A person shall not drive a motor vehicle if a television receiver,
a video monitor, or a television or video screen, or any other similar means
of visually displaying a television broadcast or video signal that produces
entertainment or business applications, is operating and is located in the
motor vehicle at a point forward of the back of the driver’s seat, or is
operating and the monitor, screen, or display is visible to the driver while
driving the motor vehicle.

(b) Subdivision (a) does not apply to the following equipment when installed
in a vehicle:

(1) A vehicle information display.

(2) A global positioning display.

(3) A mapping display.

(4) A visual display used to enhance or supplement the driver's view forward,
behind, or to the sides of a motor vehicle for the purpose of maneuvering the
vehicle.

So a GPS display .... even heads-up ... should be fine. But if you start
showing video messages of your friend from Instagram, then you're probably
going to violate the existing laws.

~~~
weavie
That makes a lot of sense!

------
ricardobeat
I recently drove a Citroen rental car with a HUD display. It only displayed
critical info: gear, speed, cruise control mode, and next gps turn.

This is just a gimmick. I would never, ever want it to display tweets or
whatever distracting content, just because you can still see the road doesn't
mean it won't take away your attention. Until we have self-driving cars there
is no technology that will magically make it possible to multitask while
driving...

------
vive1
Yes I definitely think there is a real need for HUD for our car. Kudos for the
Navdy team for such a brave attempt.

Few challenging tasks ahead for Navdy team like:

1\. I get tonnes of marketing SMS, It should recognize which SMS should be
delivered to HUD might depend the ratio of conversation I make with the sender
and decide based on that? (Yeah I live in other side of the planet)

2\. I might not need integration with Twitter and other social media accounts
they are definitely not meant to get my focus while driving

3\. As per other HN commenter, it would be awesome if it can recognize the
signals or detect objects ahead of some 10m and warn me and get me a path way
to ride? determine the pathway depending on the car dimensions ? (Yes, I live
in India and commuting here in city is really makes you very skillful in
driving :), something like in Captain America 2 film wind sheild? Yeah I know
easier said than done )

4\. May be get them the HUD view of rear and help me to drive reverse without
need to turn around ? (Asking for too much?)

But definitely worth an attempt.

------
jcdavis
I'm surprised the OBD II port is capable of powering something like this. I
hope they aren't cheating by running off the onboard battery while running and
charging while the car is off.

~~~
smackfu
There are pins for battery ground and battery power (12V). Depending on the
car, it might be tied to the ignition, or it might not.

~~~
jcdavis
yea, I'm just surprised they have enough current to power a projector + arm
cpu + fan.

~~~
mikeash
My car's 12V system warns me to limit use to 120W. That's for the "cigarette
lighter" ports, but the OBDII power pin is probably similar if not on the same
circuit. That'll run a lot of crap.

------
pnathan
Interesting idea, but certainly the demonstrated applications seem to be
_awful_. Now, a HUD with map and information about upcoming traffic & road
conditions would be useful.

------
daniel_reetz
As an optics guy, I was seriously considering building one of these myself.
Awesome stuff. I'll be ordering...

~~~
kaoD
I'm not an optics guy, but I'm an electronics hacker. How hard would it be to
learn the basics to do it?

~~~
LesZedCB
as a general hacker with an interest in learning whatever I can, I am also
interested in how one would go about making one. it could be doable just onto
a plain windshield, right?

~~~
kaoD
> it could be doable just onto a plain windshield, right?

My gut tells me you'd need some kind of reflecting sheet stuck in the
windshield or the light would just go through. My guess is the screen in Navdy
is actually reflecting light polarized in a specific angle, but I could be
completely wrong.

Also, it would be harder because windshields are not planar nor perpendicular
to the light source, which distorts the projected image. You'd have to
calibrate it constantly, I guess that's why Navdy has a screen.

There's also the law. I believe you can't stick things to the windshield for
safety reasons, specially if they occlude light.

It seems the optics might not be that hard: a mini-projector, a mirror (though
I don't know why you wouldn't just project the light directly) and somewhere
to reflect the light.

------
cordite
I would feel a lot safer if this product did not have an emphasis on something
like texting.

If it detected you were at a red light, _maybe_ it might be appropriate to
display such, but please, not while a kid might be running in front of you,
ignorant of your presence.

------
obisw4n
Why does this look like a very bad idea? I think the last thing we need is
some gadget thats right infront of their view and distracting.

~~~
exhilaration
You might change your mind if you ever have the opportunity to rent a car that
has a HUD - having just the navigation directions on the windshield is great,
your eyes never leave the road.

~~~
desireco42
Where did you see that, I didn't notice they are offering anything like that?

~~~
__david__
Their 2nd big picture on the site shows it (with some artistic license):
[https://www.navdy.com/assets/bg_2-6d1e2edf72162edc92d6955512...](https://www.navdy.com/assets/bg_2-6d1e2edf72162edc92d69555127a2db9.jpg)

Another one here:
[https://www.navdy.com/assets/directions-491e1e1af7ef47c676ab...](https://www.navdy.com/assets/directions-491e1e1af7ef47c676abd2bbe7611dbf.jpg)

~~~
desireco42
I meant, where can you rent a car with hud display like this, or I didn't
understand what you were trying to say :)

~~~
__david__
Oh, I see. I thought you meant you didn't see Navdy offering navigation on
their hud. Never mind! :-)

------
LemonPieDeluxe
Video @ 0:33: Am I the only person who noticed the Bentley badge on the Ford
Fusion? Director Easter egg?

~~~
jcampbell1
I noticed that too. I can't imagine either company would be happy about that.

It would have been funnier had they used the Aston Martin logo, since the
Fusion grill design is a rip off of the iconic Aston Martin shape. In Ford's
defense, they did own Aston Martin until 2007.

------
tashoecraft
Why are people comparing Navdy with not using a cellphone at all. That isn't
the point of this device. People use their cellphones while driving, and are
going to continue unless the government can physically prevent it all the
time. This device isn't trying to prevent all types of distracted driving that
cellphones create, but to minimize it. As a whole, the public is going to not
only use cellphones to the level they are now, but are going to increase their
usage. If the usage is going to increase and people will not stop using their
phones while driving, isn't it better if they use Navdy? This is a good idea,
but I think it's too pricy to convince people to stop. The tech costs too much
in order for most users to decide to get it. Ultimately car manufactures will
create their own in-car tech through partnerships with the big tech companies
that will do it better for cheaper. Or it will be packaged in with your car
and you won't notice the 1.5k charge when you are paying 30k for the car.

~~~
underwater
"People use their cellphones while driving"

No, __some __people do. It 's illegal and I'm all for increasing policing and
penalties to stop them.

~~~
__david__
> No, some people do.

He did not say _all people_. He said "people". You are saying the same thing
he did, except you said "no" in front of it. My own anecdotal evidence is that
I don't know a single person that _won 't_ use their cellphone while driving.

> It's illegal and I'm all for increasing policing and penalties to stop them.

That's a blanket statement that isn't true. Certain activities on the cell may
be illegal in certain states, but hands-free talking generally isn't—as far as
I know isn't illegal in mine.

I use my cell phone for maps and music while I drive, and will continue to do
so even if people like you get laws passed to make it illegal. As far as I'm
concerned, the cat is out of that particular bag (and it's undeniably safer
than maps and music in the days before cell phones).

------
viggity
"compose new tweet". for fucks sake, pull over and use your phone.

------
Eiriksmal
Woah. So my Maxima can become as cool as my buddy's Z06 for the low, low price
of $300? Interesting. Having a tach thrown onto the windshield is much
preferable to squinting down through the steering wheel into Nissan's lovely
(not), isolated pods. Keeping both eyes on the road while shifting into 2nd a
hair past the redline? Nice.

------
astockwell
Although you could see this sort of product coming years ago, the creators are
ignoring the fundamental lesson that more mature US industries learned the
hard way: Regulate yourselves, or raise red flags and force the government to
step in and do it for you (and most likely gut your business model). Or at the
very least, show some tact.

------
joelcollinsdc
The guy in the video is the same guy from the Coin concept videos...

~~~
swanson
Adam Lisagor, he runs a company that produces these concept videos:
[http://sandwichvideo.com/](http://sandwichvideo.com/)

~~~
smackfu
I'm surprised that he also stars in them. That seems like it would make things
more complicated to shoot (but maybe cheaper and easier to produce.)

------
poof131
While part of me is fascinated by the idea, part of me is slightly appalled.
For one, they seem to be mixing internet UX with aviation UX and hoping for
the best on America’s roadways. I’ve flown extensively with both a HUD and an
HMCS. Even a missile alert is a small flashing icon, not a giant picture. And
this is in a plane where other objects are not usually in your immediate
vicinity. All I can think looking at that picture with mom calling, is wow, “I
just drove off the cliff because mom called, this sucks, well at least the
scenery’s beautiful, and this HUD’s pretty cool.”

------
unsignedint
Maybe it's just me, but I just don't understand why drivers feel like they
need to receive/respond to their call/text while they are driving.

More often than not, someone other side won't realize I'm driving and see I
can work out some magic until I tell them I'm driving.

Because of this annoyance I've started ignoring any attempts to reach me while
I'm driving.

What would be cool service, actually would be the service that can cause call
to go through only when it's really urgent, but caller only gets a certain
number of "urgency" calls to be saved for REAL emergency.

~~~
greggman
It annoys me as well but what I can I do?

Example: I'm supposed to pick up my friend from the airport. I've got my
wireless headphones on so he can call but he never does. He always texts.
"Just landed", "Waiting for Luggage", "Coming out of the terminal". Of course
he never tells me where :P I'd prefer he'd call since he knows I'm driving but
since texting is the default for most people nowadays it's what they do first.

As a driver myself it does occur to me I shouldn't text either if I'm being
picked up but I don't know what calling is any better because a call requires
them to pick up where as they can ignore a text if they want.

~~~
unsignedint
Ah, I didn't realize that possibility. (What I have been doing in such case
was just PTT through my headset that I am approaching so they can find me as I
approach...)

------
ojbyrne
I wish it had more about the legality of this beyond: "Some states may also
have legal restrictions regarding where accessories may be mounted on the
dashboard"

------
iamthepieman
Were they purposefully going for the "stoned" vibe with that video? Just
seemed like an odd choice for something they are trying to say is both safe
and cool.

------
brk
"Shipping early 2015. We will charge your credit card immediately upon pre-
order."

When it did become legal (or even advisable) to charge a credit card more than
30 days in advance of shipment?

Given all the kickstarter hardware startup fiascos, there is NO way I'm paying
for a piece of technology this complex 4+ months in advance of estimated
delivery times. I'm fully expecting to see "Where is my Navdy!!!?!?!" threads
around about this time next year.

~~~
fixedd
It's always been legal (in the US) as long as they tell you when they WILL
ship (or within 30 days, if no timeframe is promised). It's against the
merchant contract with most (all?) major credit card providers though.

------
thebiglebrewski
This is the same guy from the Coin video
([https://onlycoin.com/](https://onlycoin.com/))! Who is this guy?

~~~
lukifer
Adam Lisagor: [http://sandwichvideo.com/](http://sandwichvideo.com/)

~~~
thebiglebrewski
Thanks!

------
daphreak
Great. Now hackers will have a connection to my car.

If they are using the CAN connection on ODB-II then I'm connecting my car to
the internet. Sure, most cars only put non-critical stuff on that particular
bus but I don't want script kiddies turning on my radio or flashing my lights
while I'm driving.

Hopefully its not required and I can just make a power only cable.

------
supernova87a
HUD is a reasonable tool _to augment driving information_. It makes sense for
maps, directions, vehicle alerts.

Using it to make texting and other non-driving related functions more
accessible is a slippery slope towards driver distraction and pretty directly
linkable liability for this company.

------
mrfusion
Side note: I'm always annoyed that Siri insists I read a preview of what it
thinks I want a text message to say. Otherwise texting could be completely
voice based.

Why can't it read the message back to me? That would give me a rough idea of
whether Siri got it right?

~~~
mbreese
Siri does read it back to you... at least she does to me when I'm using my
handsfree setup in the car.

"Your message to PERSON says SIRI-MANGLED-MESSAGE. Would you like to send it?"

You can send or change it by voice.

~~~
mrfusion
Hmm, so you're saying bluetooth triggers that?

~~~
mbreese
I'm not sure what triggers it... but when I'm in my car, Siri reads things
back to me. So I don't know if it applies equally to bluetooth headsets or
hands-free mode in my car. I don't know enough about Bluetooth profiles to say
without some extra Googling.

------
lsiebert
Hmm... seems to lack a gps. Given that it's running android, it would be nice
if it used it's position and size to have a better gps antenna then your
phone. Also it could totally store offline maps for when you can't access the
network.

------
skbohra123
I think the point they want to make is that no matter how dangerous it is to
operate your mobile phone while driving, a lot of people do it. So, I think
replacing that with a HUD like this might just be safer than using your mobile
while driving.

~~~
uptown
Why build a business around facilitating bad behavior? Seems short-sighted ...
literally, in this case.

------
MattyRad
My senior project in college was very similar:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axDyhF1N7hY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axDyhF1N7hY)

Navdy's interface looks quite a bit nicer though, for sure.

~~~
SyncTheory13
Awesome project! Did you create an actual HUD (projector) or just use the
reflection off the windshield at night? (I emailed you as well)

~~~
agarden
In the video they say that they used 40/60 beamsplitter glass. It reflects the
tablet directly.

~~~
joshmlewis
He was asking the commenter a question about his project not Navdy.

~~~
agarden
The Navdy video has no explanation of what they use. The commenter linked to a
YouTube video about his project, in which they say they used 60/40 beam
splitter glass.

------
ph0rque
It would be even better if combined with a backup camera and parking sensors.

------
oliwarner
WHY CAN'T PEOPLE JUST DRIVE?!?!! Why do they think they need to be reading and
replying to SMS messages and emails and calls.

Just focus on the 1-3 tons of vehicle you're bimbling around in.

------
state
It's the same actor from the Coin video [1]. How strange.

1 -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Sx34swEG0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Sx34swEG0)

~~~
RaphiePS
Yup! He's the guy behind Sandwich Video, which makes a ton of ads for
startups: [http://sandwichvideo.com/](http://sandwichvideo.com/)

~~~
therobotking
Mmm.. his terrible facial hair made me think it was an amature video.
Hilarious that people are paying the guy money to put himself in their product
videos and he doesn't even tidy his beard up.

~~~
RaphiePS
I think that's kind of the point. He doesn't look like an actor -- he's an
everyman.

------
desireco42
Really cool, I plan to get something like this as soon as it becomes
available, my money is here, please post when you have product I can order and
is reviewed by Ars or Engadget.

------
kentf
Powered by Tilt no less ;)

[https://www.tilt.com](https://www.tilt.com) |
[https://open.tilt.com](https://open.tilt.com)

------
JacksonGariety
"But you can't use your phone in your car. When you do, bad things happen."

 _gets pulled over by a cop_

Yes a ticket is the worst that can happen when you're distracted while
driving.

------
tamour
In the future I'd like to be able to look down at my
phone/tablet/book/food/etc while my car drives me to my destination. This is
not the future.

~~~
madeofpalk
This seems very similar to things like Coin[1] where it's a solution for now,
rather than the future.

[1]: [https://onlycoin.com](https://onlycoin.com)

------
coherentpony
I would use this _solely_ for navigational purposes with Google Maps turn-by-
turn. This is exactly why I would not pay $300.

Why does my car need Twitter?

------
jacquesm
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlxjng8h3Tc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlxjng8h3Tc)

------
EvanL
Great product video! Actually quite funny. This technology can be a nice
little stop gap before the driverless car revolution.

------
rafeed
If you have an Automatic and want to use both, this will be a no go since each
will need to use the OBD II port in your car.

------
elitrium
I think this is a really good alternative. While I do believe that anything
that takes away from your attention (texting) while driving, should be banned.
It's always going to be a problem whether there is a law against it or not.

It comes down to.. would I rather someone be sending a text while looking down
at their phone. Or would I feel better about someone sending a text, a message
that's being sent regardless, while looking ahead in front of them.

~~~
zheshishei
Wouldn't it be the same as using a Google Glass while driving?

~~~
ChikkaChiChi
Other than for navigation, Glass while driving is insanely distracting.

------
Linear-b
This is a terrible idea. If it were up to me I'd ban phones in cars entirely
until self driving cars are a thing.

------
mmastrac
I really like what these guys have done -- I've been jealous of the vehicles
that ship with this built-in.

~~~
mwnz
What have they done? All I see is renderings.

------
mmsimanga
Am I the only one who initial read HURD?

------
smackfu
Very optimistic with the ship date. Early 2015? Do they realize it's August
2014 already?

------
Fastidious
Looked interesting. Lets watch the video! "Missing Plug-in." Duh! (Homer
style)

------
culshaw
Navdy seems gimmicky, (Husband) I'm worried about Adam trying to hit on my
wife...

------
dqmdm2
You can get a HUD in a Corvette, but it simply displays info from the gauge
cluster.

------
jcfrei
I would like to see a working prototype first before I'd consider buying one.

------
ep103
This seems really cool, I'd definitely want to try it out first though.

------
tgraham
Great product. Surely a matter of time before buyout from a big car company.

------
dalek2point3
any ideas where the map data comes from? OpenStreetMap?

------
circa
40% off at $319? Wow.

------
matponta
Just bought one :)

------
vernie
Howdy, Mr. Sandwich Video

------
HNJohnC
Jesus, this is a terrible idea.

------
notastartup
I stopped watching when the HUD was actually a tiny piece of screen glass
limited to the device. I thought it would project light into the dashboard
somehow.

