Summary
- GPS are very useful devices. In just a few years, they have truly revolutionized the way we orient ourselves on the road by replacing road maps. With the emergence of GPS applications for smartphones, this technology has truly democratized.
However, as practical as they are, current GPS are far from perfect. One of their main weaknesses is the lack of precision. The way the road is represented on the screen can be confusing, so much so that it is not uncommon to miss an exit or make the wrong turn.
In order to remedy this problem, the Phiar group is developing a GPS application using augmented reality. On the smartphone screen, the directional indications are directly superimposed on the real world images filmed by the camera. Thus, the display is much more readable and the risk of making mistakes is reduced to a minimum.
Phiar will allow GPS to gain in precision thanks to augmented reality
Another advantage is that the camera will allow you to record a maximum of 30 minutes of video. Thus, in the event of an accident or a collision, the images can serve as proof. This GPS application can therefore also serve as Dash Cam.
At the same time, the images filmed by the camera will make it possible to update the cartographic data in real time. For Phiar, this will also allow develop a constantly updated map which could attract many business partners.
Of course, the creation of such a device represents many challenges. Indeed, the software must be sufficiently advanced so that the virtual elements are displayed in the right place in real time even when the vehicle is launched at full speed. To achieve its goal, Phiar just raised $ 3 million. The launch of the application is scheduled for mid-2019.
As a reminder, Phiar is not the only one trying to exploit augmented reality for GPS navigation. Other companies, such as Apple and Nvidia or the startup WayRay, for their part, are creating augmented reality windshields that directly serve as dashboards and GPS screens for cars. The automotive industry is therefore doomed to become one of the main sectors of application of augmented reality.
