Technology is constantly changing and bringing new features into our lives. The best implementation of technology is using it to upgrade our tried-and-true uses for something as simple as a rearview mirror.
Nissan has tactfully invented a rearview mirror that can function as it always has … or as a full-screen camera-based display. As you might have guessed, it’s called the “Smart Rearview Mirror”. The uses for this device are endless, as mirrors are far too antiquated for our modern world. Fill your car with people and you can’t see out the back, same goes for those massive, newfangled headrests.
This is no simple video setup. The mirror can automatically adjust for image distortion from sun and headlight glare. The 1.3 megapixel camera sits just below the roofline above the rear brake light.
Live video streaming from the camera is sent to an LCD incorporated into the rearview mirror. The video is also changed so it looks just like the mirror reflection you are used to.
You might be wondering why Nissan hasn’t switched to a camera all together, but strict laws in the States require the use of a rearview mirror. Japan, however, will receive the camera rearview option in 2015.
This is just another fundamental leap toward the future of automobiles. I’m not sure I could place all of my trust on a video feed. After all, a mirror has never frozen … ‘cept in the winter. I digress.
Nissan is already utilizing this technology in its ZEOD R Le Mans racecar and Audi uses a similar technology in its Batmobile-like Le Mans racer.
