Chinese augmented reality heads-up display (AR-HUD) manufacturer Raythink debuted a novel automotive solution on Thursday.
Its latest AR-HUD for smart vehicles took centre stage at the 20th annual Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition.
The solution leverages the company’s OpticalCore picture generation unit, which projects fully-visible 3D images. Its photorealistic technologies can deliver in-depth, cutting-edge 3D effects for drivers using the solution.
This allows drivers to receive critical driving information such as navigational waypoints, speed, and assistance. All visuals are displayed on the windshield for real-time viewing, providing driving data to drivers concentrating on the road.
With the device, Raythink’s latest offering provides a massive field-of-view (FoV) via its core light source module.
At the show, OpticalCore debuted its innovative product which leverages laser beam scanning compared to typical transistor and digital light processors.
Drivers using the solution can benefit from its three-lane FoV, enhanced contrasts, and higher power efficiency. According to Raythink, it also benefits from a greater number of chipset suppliers, leading to more secure supply lines to stabilise production.
Raythink AR-HUD Developments
The news comes after the Chinese company boosted its production and manufacturing infrastructure amid ongoing global supply chain issues this year.
Raythink’s measures have provided it with a secure production capacity to supply China’s AR-HUD and smart car industries with next-generation immersive solutions.
The solution also passed numerous quality system certifications last year, including ISO9001, IATF16949, and others. The firm also expect to ship its innovative solution in more than 400,000 vehicles.
Raythink also struck a major partnership with AI Speech, a novel Chinese conversational artificial intelligence (AI) platform, to provide a voice-controlled interface for the platform.
ARtomotive Industry Boom
The news comes after Raythink secured around $15 million USD in Series A funding in June last year. This allowed the Chinese firm to boost the production of its AR-HUD technologies and develop a national AR display ecosystem.
Other firms, including Germany’s BMW Group, have entered the AR transport market. The massive automaker partnered with Helsinki’s Basemark to develop a futuristic AR-HUD for the former’s select iX sport utility vehicle (SUV).
In the motorcycling world, CrossHelmet teamed up with What3Words to develop a precision navigational system for its AR-HUD helmets, leading to greater safety for bikers adopting the technologies.
The sales volume of AR HUD is growing rapidly. In 2022, the pre-installed standard equipment has reached 109,600 units, a year-on-year increase of 115.75%.
In 2024, Raythink is expected to become a TOP3 ARHUD delivery company!#Raythink #TOP3 #ARHUDhttps://t.co/qOz0PKWnnZ— Raythink Technology (@RaythinkTech) February 28, 2023
The developments follow a GlobalData survey, which evidenced the rapid adoption of AR-HUD technologies across the automotive industry.
This is also shown in Raythink’s findings, where it revealedrevealed a 115 percent jump in AR sales volumes in 2022.
Citing case studies from Daimler, the report showed that with AR-HUD devices, automotive firms could significantly incresae training times for employees. Using AR devices also slashed equipment downtime by providing on-demand instructional walkthroughs for remote engineers.
Daimler’s MBUX infotainment system was one of the first AR solutions on the market to trigger a surge in automotive AR use cases.
