There’s a new augmented reality (AR) app for the iPhone, called Augmented Driving, that turns your dash-mounted iPhone into a heads-up display (HUD) for your car. It’s one of the coolest implementations of AR that we’ve yet seen for the iPhone, but it’s also quite possibly the most pointless augmented reality app as far as driving aids are concerned. Good thing for Augmented Driving, when it comes to technology, sometimes it doesn’t have to serve a useful function in order to be a cool piece of tech. Case in point – an iPhone app that visually and audibly warns you when there are cars ahead and when you’re changing lanes.
The app is called Augmented Driving, and it’s designed to work as a HUD for your car. Some of you out there may be familiar with HUD systems in fighter jets like the F22 Raptor or the nostalgic F14 Tomcat (Top Gun, anyone?), and even fewer of you will be familiar with HUD systems that display speed and trip information in cars from BMW and Cadillac. This app makes it possible to put similar technology into your rusty, old bucket. That is, as long as you have an iPhone 3GS or an iPhone 4 in said rusty, old bucket.
What’s the point? Well, to be honest, we’re not quite sure how useful this app will be to most people with at least one eye and decent driving skills, but it sure is cool. The app uses GPS to tell you your current speed – which should be more accurate than the speedometer on your car, which likely over-quotes your speed. The app will also highlight the lane track ahead of you and put green or red boxes around vehicles in front of you or slightly off to the side – with “Vehicle Ahead” warnings for, well, those times when a car is in front of you and you don’t see it. It’ll also warn you when you change lanes, you know, just in case you weren’t already aware of that fact.
All kidding aside, you really shouldn’t have to use an app like this to stay safe while driving. Maybe we’re putting a little too much faith in the general driving public’s ability to actually, you know, drive without needing a gadget to tell them when they’re changing lanes or when a car cuts them off. Actually, come to think of it, given what goes down on San Francisco roadways, perhaps this app really will be useful.
At the end of the day, the concept behind the Augmented Driving app is just cool. The tech is cool. Everything about the app is cool. It’s just that it’s kind of pointless. There are other AR apps available that don’t have the cool factor of Augmented Driving, but are way more useful.
Disclaimer: If you’re thinking of using this app with your iPhone 4, you should know that it’s not optimized yet for the Retina Display or the 5MP camera. You’ve been warned.
– Augmented Driving ($2.99) [iTunes link]
[Via: TUAW]