HUD in helmets.

[trinidefender]

I was wondering if teams can get helmets that have HUD's (heads up display) on them? The great thing about them is that you never have to take your eyes off of the road because all the information is presented in front of your eyes projected on the helmet visor.

Imagine a helmet HUD system that can also tell the driver the optimum braking/power points and lines into and out of corners to suit their driving style.

The software and hardware is already there and in commercial use in aviation so implementing it shouldn't be to hard, however do the regulations currently allow this?

[FW17]

At the Hungarian Grand Prix, the BMW Technology Office took the wraps off an innovative Formula One product. A miniature head-up display system measuring 6x8 millimeters in size is integrated into the helmet, providing vital information to the driver.
The display enables a wide range of information and messages to be relayed to the driver. With this "visual information window" racing drivers can register visual information while still paying full attention to their driving. For example, the driver can be alerted to an accident on a certain stretch of the track or a patch of oil in a particular turn.

"With this device, BMW has taken a further important step forward on the safety front," says Ralf Schumacher of the BMW WiliamsF1 Team.

The display system was devised by the BMW Technology Office in Palo Alto, California, in collaboration with a local partner company specializing in electronics, and with the German helmet manufacturer Schuberth. Ralf Schumacher will use the mini head-up display in his helmet starting next season. Tests are scheduled to be completed in 2002.

This pioneering technology opens up an entirely new channel of communication between the pits and the driver.

A module integrated in the helmet stores various messages and images in a data set, which can be called up from the pits and displayed to the driver. The mini head-up display projects the relevant "transparent" image through the visor on a level with the front of the car. The driver registers the information without being distracted from what is happening on the track.

The BMW mini head-up display has a high-resolution true color display based on active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) technology. The key function of the display is found in a unique lens element known as a free form prism (FFP). This allows the driver to see the picture pin sharp.

The mini head-up display enables the projection of any number of optical messages into the driver's direct field of vision.

For Formula One testing, the miniature display was integrated into the chin cup of a modified Schuberth RF-1 racing helmet. Additional walls and padding were used in accordance with guidelines from the SNELL Foundation (the helmet safety organization).

The system is located in the peripheral vision field of the driver's dominant eye. Thanks to the unique design of the system, the information is projected into the driver's field of vision without his having to actually look at the display.

"The eye very quickly gets used to this small spot and ignores it as if it were a tiny insect on the windscreen," explains Jrgen Brgl, project engineer at the BMW office in Palo Alto.

With the help of the miniature display, the F1 driver is fed a wide range of information on the race - including safety precautions - straight from the pits. The driver is informed of his position in the race, he can receive instructions from the pits during the race - such as "go faster", "come into the box" or "oil in turn 2", and he is kept up to date on flag signals and emergency procedures by means of messages such as "pit traffic" or "oil pump". The display also allows the instructor in the pits to send the driver an SMS through bi-directional telemetry. This information is relayed straight to the display. And information on the engine management functions - like "oil pressure low" - can be sent directly to the driver without having to go through the pits. It all helps to save precious time.

The integral head-up display was developed in the Palo Alto office of the BMW Group's Research and Technology Center (FIZ). The BMW Technology Office specializes in highly innovative, cutting-edge technologies. Since 1998, 16 associates including IT experts, logisticians, chemists and engineers from various specialist fields, have been working towards the goal of ensuring the fastest possible integration of innovative technologies into BMW cars.

[FW17]

Projections are old technique, now the same should be possible with a TOLED visor

[wuzak]

Imagine a helmet HUD system that can also tell the driver the optimum braking/power points and lines into and out of corners to suit their driving style.

I don't think that is a very good idea.

[Callum]

I recall a certain sportcar driver going to a company that a relative of mine works for asking to implement this kind of technology for his helmet many years ago. He apparently walked straight back out the door when he found out how much it was likely to cost...

[DaveKillens]

With the advent of Google Glass, it is obvious this technology will only evolve and improve. But the obvious question now arises, what should be presented as a visual display, and what may be a needless distraction.

A Formula One driver is very busy, and one thing they do not appreciate is being distracted, especially at a critical time. We have all heard drivers ask their crew not to talk to them when they are in a corner, and even right now their workload is so high they have an "acknowledge" button they press just to let the team know they heard the message. They are so busy they don't want to even speak.

And the thing is, if some information is presented to them, they have to sort it out, let it register in their eyes and brain, then process that information. And that leads to the subject of alternate forms of communication. Radios, and the audio method is very effective, the driver never has to take his eyes and concentration off the track ahead, and usually they can process the information quicker and clearer. I would not want to be at a track like Monaco with Fernando Alonso on my gearbox, and notice some message flashing on my HUD. I would say to myself, "I'm rather busy, what is that?" and have to attempt to digest the message when it would be far easier to hear in my ears, "Box, box, box this lap".

Right now, all drivers are facing information overload, they are extremely busy making adjustments to the differential, brake bias, engine and KERS settings, to name a few. Any new visual aid technology has to be designed and utilized to reduce the workload, in order to allow the driver to fully concentrate on the important thing, negotiating the track and racing. It cannot be allowed to distract a driver, or add to his workload.

IMO, any visual display is a needless distraction, when the radio can perform most communication functions. The only thing I can think of that could be relevant is to place proximity sensors at the rear wing, to warn the driver when another car is alongside, and they need to be aware of that. And instead of a visual display, just place LED's at the corners of the peripheral vision. That way, if a driver is under attack, he will notice a light at the edge of his vision (on whatever side is relevant) and be able to say to himself, "OK, he just stuck his nose to my right, I can't move in that direction".

[FW17]

Imagine a helmet HUD system that can also tell the driver the optimum braking/power points and lines into and out of corners to suit their driving style.

I don't think that is a very good idea.

I think the edge of track and rear of the car in front in wet condition will be very useful. It will be even better if thy could indicate wet and standing water patches on the track surface.

[gridwalker]

They have been testing variants of this technology for decades. I remember watching an episode of the old BBC science/technology show Tomorrow's World, where they tested a rudimentary HUD with Johnny Herbert in a Lotus ... This was a car made by the proper, bona fide Team Lotus founded by Colin Chapman himself, rather than either of the recent pretenders to the throne, so you can tell how long ago this was.

The technology has moved on immeasurably since then, but there is one factor that will remain the same. When the information is constantly in front of your eyes, it becomes much harder to ignore, presenting a potential distraction at times when you may wish to be focussed solely on the track. This is one of the reasons why they decided not to implement the system at the time.

As nice as a HUD may be in theory, I don't think it presents so great an advantage that we will be seeing their adoption any time soon.

[Frafer]

HUD at the moment are useless in formula 1, as they are useless in skiing or sports where you need a visor.
They are cool, no doubt, but at the moment they 1 wouldn't give any lap-time 2 could be view as distraction.
Then only thing that would be stunning and useful is a HUD with infrared view, during rain to detect other cars: one camera on the nosecone and the image on the helmet and on TV also, would be so cool...

[void]

Safety reasons. I don't wanna have anything near my eyes during a high speed crash.

[trinidefender]

Hmmm I feel as if some are overthinking this. Void, nothing needs to be near your eyes, the module can be placed the the structure of the helmet. Everybody is forgetting that currently drivers have screens on their steering wheel. All I am talking about is taking some of that information; speed, rpm, energy storage, shift lights etc that is already displayed on the screen.

I have seen first hand how they operate in aircraft. The information is presented so that it is not 'in your face' but slightly off of the centre of view. The way your vision works is that once you are not actually looking at any of the information your brain automatically filters it out and all you perceive is the road ahead. However when the driver wants to see the information all his eyes have to do is refocus for a fraction of a second and you have all the info. In my opinion this is much clearer and less confusing than having information presented on a tiny screen with small numbers placed on a steering wheel that is half a meter away from you and moving.

There is a reason that most modern military and some (and gaining) new commercial aircraft use these HUD's. There is solid science that proves that this method reduces workload and presents the pilot (or in this case driver) with an easier and quicker way to obtain information. Don't take my word for it, go and read up on some NASA studies and various other studies that have been done.

Yes it is expensive however as they are becoming more common in the commercial aviation the price will decrease.

[trinidefender]

HUD at the moment are useless in formula 1, as they are useless in skiing or sports where you need a visor.
They are cool, no doubt, but at the moment they 1 wouldn't give any lap-time 2 could be view as distraction.
Then only thing that would be stunning and useful is a HUD with infrared view, during rain to detect other cars: one camera on the nosecone and the image on the helmet and on TV also, would be so cool...

They actually can reduce lap times and reduce distraction at the same time. The way you brain works is that when your eyes are focusing on a point ahead your brain can filter out other information so essentially all you see is the road ahead until you refocus for a fraction of a second on the projections.

Many are thinking these projections have to big colour projections. That is simply not the case. You can have light green lines on the visor for simple numbers to be displayed. Just look at the examples in military jets and commercial aircraft.

[idfx]

This is designed for snow

Site: http://www.reconinstruments.com/products/snow2/

[DaveKillens]

I am very familiar with aircraft head up displays, both military and civil. It is imperative to remember that they are there for three reasons, to take the pilot's head (vision) out of the cockpit, to present relevant information, be it airspeed, altitude, or gunsight aim point, and/or reduce workload. So we have to ask the question, what is the role of a Formula One head up display? I would assume it is to reduce workload, allow him to keep his eyes out of the cockpit and on the action, and to display important information not available elsewhere.

And what information does a Formula One style head up display have to offer that could be alternately fed to the driver? Oil on the track? The Mark I eyeball is very good at that. And if it is noticed by trackside workers and relayed to the team, isn't it a lot simpler to just radio the driver and say something like, "oil down inside of turn three"?

One thing that does force the driver to look down and away from the action is the display, the menus he has to navigate, for example to change engine mapping. That may be viable, and improve the driver's ability to concentrate more on what's around him. I don't remember the exact time and driver, but I do recall that one driver drove into another (maybe under caution) because his head was down and he was focused on making menu changes.

So on reflection I do believe they may be of assistance for the driver, but how and what is displayed has to be carefully chosen, so that it assists the driver in his duties, and is never a needless distraction.

[FW17]

I am sure of the expensive part - $599 price tag