Gadgets Philippines – July 2019

http://www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph July 2019 45

Back-up

camera

Live feed

In 1956, Chuck Jordan, the head of design for

General Motors, debuted the Buick Centurion

XP-301 concept car. Sporting a futuristic

exterior and interior design, the vehicle didn’t

fall short in hi-tech offerings as well. The

revolutionary Buick model was equipped with a

backup camera, that was mounted on the trunk,

and with strategically hidden wiring that fed

the feed to the vehicle’s dash. In 1972, Volvo’s

experimental safety car likewise had a camera

installed, but it didn’t make it into production

for it’s consumer models. And in about 20 years

after, the 1991 Toyota Soarer Limited became

the first production vehicle to be equipped with

a backup camera.

Another milestone was hit in the 2002 New York

International Auto Show where Nissan’s Infiniti

luxury division introduced the Q45 flagship

sedan with a state- of- the art backup camera

offering which consisted of a license plate-

mounted camera at the rear which transmitted

an image to a 7-inch LCD screen. Bouncing to

2007, three more cameras are added to the

Infiniti EX35, two which are mounted into the

bottom of the exterior mirrors, and one in the

front grille. All cameras featured a 180- degree

Without a doubt, adding cameras into vehicles heightens awareness. For

one, mounting them outside the vehicle and proving a live feed to the

dashboard LCD or through the rear mirror feed eliminates obstructions

such as seeing the rear seats and passengers when using the traditional

rearview mirror. Cadillac, realizing that the technology does indeed

increase rearward awareness by about 300% percent, has even replaced

some of its models’ mirrors with displays and cameras.

Today’s surround view camera works in a similar way as Jordan’s original

concept in such a way that it uses the basic setup of a mounted camera

and an accompanying display. As the system further develops, we see

more and more benefits such as eliminating blind spots, and having

the driver truly view the car’s driving condition. 3D stitching is also one

concept we’ve seen into fruition, as with night vision capable cameras

mounted in cars. The possibilities are infinite, and it’s the nice to hear

that the absolute goal of this technology is to make driving easier and

safer than before.

field of view which overlapped, eliminating the

gap in immediate surroundings.

Now in 2019, the same technology exists, but

in the form of 360- degree glory. Similar to

how the 180- degree systems worked, modern

systems are able to show a perspective similar

to that of a traditional rearview camera that

faces outwards. BMW has even gone as far as

displaying a car and its immediate surroundings

from a certain angle—perfect for parking in

our eskenitas (alley) or in narrow old European

streets. Likewise, the vehicle alerts you when

collision is about to happen.

Yet one of the most interesting

implementations is probably the integration

of a bird’s eye view. Digitally stitching the

camera’s field of vision, some manufacturers

such as Nissan have gone so far as to provide

a top-down/bird’s eye view of the vehicle.

Nissan compares this technology to reading

a book from an imperfect angle, riddled with

distortions, versus a straight down angle

absent of any. Like something out of video

game, the system is able to eliminate distortion

via software thus providing an image where

the vehicle is located at the center, and where

its surrounds are seen.

Buick

centurion

XP-301

Buick model

equipped with a

backup camera

Photo from Buick Centurion press release.

Photo from Google images.