HUD in helmets.

[Holm86]

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

Transparent OLED visors would be pretty cool. And should be doable within the next few years.

[Holm86]

I know its not HUD but ultra sonic force field visors could also be awesome for rainy GP's

Take a look at this : http://www.gizmag.com/mclaren-ultrasoni ... her/30205/

[trinidefender]

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.

My idea is to move things like rpm, shift lights, speed etc to the HUD. Instead of the information being presented down on the screen on the steering wheel it will be easier for him to view. Is that not a valid point?

[Lycoming]

They have an audio cue for shifting, and you can see them without having to look down anyways. And you don't need to know your speed. I don't think there's much point.

[trinidefender]

They have an audio cue for shifting, and you can see them without having to look down anyways. And you don't need to know your speed. I don't think there's much point.

All I am hearing is negatives. My question should be changed to; if there is information that a driver wants to know, it can be displayed on a HUD system. Would the rules allow this?

[theblackangus]

While its an interesting question technically, I think most of the people around here are of the belief that we should not allow stuff that makes driving easier. This would reduce the amount of variables the driver would have to keep track of mentally, so isn't really desirable from the "best driver" standpoint. It's an arms race like steroids... where does it end?

(Ends with: Real time car/track/traffic analysis and the HUD telling the driver where to go, what gear to be in, what brake bias will be optimal with the given temp/speed etc.)

I know there is alot of info I miss going from SIM racing to track days, but even then I'm not sure I would really want a HUD.

[idfx]

hummm !!! That equipment may be useful, with focus to driving in extreme rain. Information about: distance (between the car), the track limits or conditions the tire.

[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.

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.

My point was that we want the drivers to drive the cars without assistance.

That is why they haven't got ABS or TC. Or active steering.

Helping them see the track in the wet isn't a bad idea, but if they need assistance to see the track then perhaps they shouldn't be racing?

[FW17]

Helping them see the track in the wet isn't a bad idea, but if they need assistance to see the track then perhaps they shouldn't be racing?

A wet race is good to go when the front running car is happy with the conditions, however all following cars are affected with the heavy spray coming off the tyres which makes them impossible to follow closely. A HUD in this case is going to be a useful driver tool with road car application.

Driving skill is wet is about finding the limit of grip and not driving blind.




The second image is not an HUD but an iphone app imaginyze

[andylaurence]

I don't see the benefit in moving the shift lights to inside the visor as they're pretty obvious already. However, let's focus on what could be useful time critical information.

• Lap delta could easily be displayed in the skyline with a bar where the size represents the delta of reference to current lap; red for current lap slower, green for faster.
• The mirrors on an F1 car are useless, so how about a representation of a following car on the lower and side edges of the visor? A colour gradient from green to red (then blinking) that shows the following car's position relative to your car with the centre of the helmet being the car is directly behind and the sides being that the car is pulling into your blind spot.
• Yellow flag markers so you know there's a hazard ahead, although these lights are already on the dash, they might be more obvious inside the visor.
• A flashing arrow signalling when to box in case you forgot the engineer said "box, box, box".

[FW17]

[*]A flashing arrow signalling when to box in case you forgot the engineer said "box, box, box".[/list]

Data cannot be transferred from pit to car

[trinidefender]

While its an interesting question technically, I think most of the people around here are of the belief that we should not allow stuff that makes driving easier. This would reduce the amount of variables the driver would have to keep track of mentally, so isn't really desirable from the "best driver" standpoint. It's an arms race like steroids... where does it end?

(Ends with: Real time car/track/traffic analysis and the HUD telling the driver where to go, what gear to be in, what brake bias will be optimal with the given temp/speed etc.)

I know there is alot of info I miss going from SIM racing to track days, but even then I'm not sure I would really want a HUD.

The thing is nobody is saying anything about making the driving faster. Other systems like ABS, traction control active suspension etc all help the driver to go quicker yet don't really add anything to the safety net. They essentially let the car do a lot of the driving. I am simply talking about having information present closer to the drivers line of sight and easier to access by the driver. This means the driver can keep his eyes on the road more and not down at the screen or his steering wheel. In that way it does increase the safety net for the drivers therefore should be allowed.

[cherok1212]

I don't see the benefit in moving the shift lights to inside the visor as they're pretty obvious already. However, let's focus on what could be useful time critical information.

• Lap delta could easily be displayed in the skyline with a bar where the size represents the delta of reference to current lap; red for current lap slower, green for faster.
• The mirrors on an F1 car are useless, so how about a representation of a following car on the lower and side edges of the visor? A colour gradient from green to red (then blinking) that shows the following car's position relative to your car with the centre of the helmet being the car is directly behind and the sides being that the car is pulling into your blind spot.
• Yellow flag markers so you know there's a hazard ahead, although these lights are already on the dash, they might be more obvious inside the visor.
• A flashing arrow signalling when to box in case you forgot the engineer said "box, box, box".

This is more or less what I was thinking and can be presented in an intermittent and non distracting fashion. Lap delta would be awesome for quali and pacing during the race. Also for mirrors, maybe a yellow to red signal on either side to indicate on the display to show side and distance of oncoming traffic (images may be too distracting)

[Edis]

A "HUD in a helmet" is actually not a HUD but a HMD; Helmet Mounted Display.

HMD:s have been around since the seventies but their use have been rather limited. Today most manufacturers of fighter jets can offer one or has one under development since it will most likely be difficult to make a competitive fighter jet without a HMD.

The display built into the visor (usually by projection) is however only part of the story. The other major part is the sensor system built into the helmet and the cockpit. The sensors are used by the system to determine what the pilot actually is looking at. As a result the system can not only show information in the pilots field of view, but in full 3D. In a fighter jet this system is not only used to provide the pilot with information, it is also a means for targeting. A fighter pilot could for instance "see" where other aircrafts are in the HMD even if they are out of visible range, using information from the radar system. The pilot can then target another aircraft by simply looking at it and fire. Other sensors in the aircraft can also operate as "slaves", for instance the camera in a laser designator pod or a FLIR system can follow the pilots head movements so these sensors also see what the pilot sees, and this video can then be displayed in the HMD and/or be used for targeting.

Of course, many of these functions are rather useless in a F1 car, but some of them certainly could be useful. However, I do think such a system would be more useful in a rally car, where it could replace the codriver. I also think it would be easier to implement the system in a sports- or rally car, projecting information directly on the windshield. In such an application you can probably make the system without the head movement sensors, since the windshield moves with the car.

[Shrieker]

Very nice discussion. A helmet mounted display fed by infrared sensors would be of great use in wet conditions. As WilliamsF1 has pointed out, drivers would not have to worry about driving blind in the rain. That would definitely add to the show.