Pioneer has unveiled a car navigation system equipped
with a head-up display (HUD), which displays
instructions and maps on a translucent plastic board
between the windshield and the driver's seat.
'Cyber Navi' is the first product of its kind and has
been designed to improve traffic safety because
conventional devices require drivers to look away from
the road for longer periods.
The car navigation system comes in two models:
"AVIC-VH99HUD" (1D + 1D unit), which is a high-end
model, and "AVIC-ZH99HUD" (2D unit). Both of them will
be released in late July 2012. The expected retail
prices of the VH99 and ZH99 are 320,000 yen (approx
US$4,006) and 300,000, respectively.
The information displayed on the 90 x 30cm (about
37-inch) color image display will appear to the driver
as 30-cm-long, 90-cm-wide images 3 meters away, the
company said.
Only the information that is necessary for driving can
be displayed on the HUD. The navigation system features
four types of driving modes. And a remote control that
comes with the system is used to switch driving modes.
For safety, Pioneer employed a resin projection screen
whose edges do not face the driver's head in case of a
car accident.
The Cyber Navi is capable of showing a large image of
the speed limit when a camera catches speed-limit signs
on the road. The system also sounds an alarm when the
car continues to straddle two lanes on a highway.