4. Augmented Reality for Self-driving

The advent of AR in automobile systems began in the late 1980s with the HUD systems of Nissan and General Motors (https://​nymag.​com/​intelligencer/​2019/​01/​the-past-and-future-of-the-head-up-display.​html), and today, they are largely offered for many premium passenger cars. The emergence of large-FOV windshield AR is more recent. VR and AR systems in the automobile industry are now introduced as new ADASs for enhanced driver safety and comfort, and they are commonly used for the efficient management of self-driving delegation. This chapter presents some of the issues concerning virtual and augmented technology for engineering design and for onboard vehicle visualization systems. Regarding the latter, wide-FOV HUDs and AR display systems have recently been invented to provide information to the driver and vehicle passengers. Nevertheless, both applications are aimed at coping with the same visual perception issues, including distance perception, FOV, accommodation, luminosity, contrast, limited available space for display systems, and severe and weight constraints. The industrial needs for virtual engineering design, supported by the emerging VR gaming and metaverse industries, are meeting those of large-FOV HUD onboard systems. However, future technological developments will indicate the path for the optimal deployment between onboard AR systems and connected AR glasses, synchronized with vehicle data, as necessary for vehicle safety, navigation, and other entertainment applications.