Augmented Reality Definition: a technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the real world, thus providing a composite view.

It is essentially comparable to a video the user is taking, but you can interact with features within the video to change what’s happening. Well, it’s in cars now with the most sophisticated application of the technology being in the new Cadillac Escalade.

The way it’s done is by using a front-facing camera and the vehicle’s navigation. Most cars have ditched the old gauge clusters for a full screen with lots more customization that includes showing your vehicle’s navigation. The way Cadillac combined the camera and navigation is by showing the camera of what’s ahead of the vehicle in real-time. Then, if you have your navigation linked, it can project different arrows and signs pointing in the direction of where you need to go, what lane you need to be in, etc., based on where your navigation is directing you.

A visual representation of the system in use is in this video from 8:26 – 9:29 The main benefit I see with this implementation of AR is helping people not get lost from not knowing where to go. As long as they are able to figure out the destination’s address, there really isn’t a way to NOT get lost. Couple this with self-driving technology (mainly used for easy driving on highways and open roads now) and what you essentially have is a fully autonomous vehicle.