Bosch Unveils A Transparent LCD Screen Which Acts As A Virtual Visor

A high-tech sun visor that uses artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology to block out the sun’s glare has been developed by Bosch.

Th German tech giant’s revamp of the traditional car apparatus uses a clear LCD screen and turning some of the clear crystals opaque to block out specific areas.

The rest of the panel remains transparent, giving a fuller view of the road than the existing piece of equipment.

Its ‘Virtual Visor’ uses a camera that scans the driver’s face to make sure the view of the road ahead is not obscured by glaring sun streaming through the windscreen.

The novel approach to improving the design of the visor would use AI to detect what light needs filtering out and provide a glare-free view of the road.

Dr Steffen Berns, president of Bosch Car Multimedia, said: ‘For most drivers around the world, the visor component as we know it is not enough to avoid hazardous sun glare – especially at dawn and dusk when the sun can greatly decrease drivers’ vision.

‘Some of the simplest innovations make the greatest impact, and Virtual Visor changes the way drivers see the road.’

The Virtual Visor will be formally unveiled next week at the global tech cornucopia that is CES in Las Vegas.

A raft of tech is expected to be on display at the showcase, with many tech giants holding events.

Bosch says the sun visor is due an upgrade, having remained the same since the inception of automobiles at the dawn of the 20th century.

The concept links an LCD panel with a camera that monitors and tracks the movements of drivers or passengers

It will assess how the sun’s shadow is striking the person’s face using artificial intelligence, Bosch claims, and analyse the driver’s view, darkening only the section of the display through which light hits the driver’s eyes.

‘We discovered early in the development that users adjust their traditional sun visors to always cast a shadow on their own eyes,’ said Jason Zink, technical expert for Bosch in North America and one of the co-creators of the Virtual Visor.

‘This realisation was profound in helping simplify the product concept and fuel the design of the technology.’

The creative use of liquid crystal technology to block a specific light source decreases dangerous sun glare, driver discomfort and accident risk; it also increases driver visibility, comfort and safety.