Toyota's Augmented Car

I have seen many augmented reality showcases. From the ones you need to print out and hold you camera in front of (a huge failure, because why would you possible do that?) to elaborate future concepts from Microsoft.

But this one from Toyota actually makes a lot of sense. Unlike other augmented reality concept, you do not have to hold something up in front of your face to see. It simple turns the windows of your car into a touch enabled screen.

The impressive thing is that by having camera's built into the side of your car, you virtually can interact with the world around you.

I'm sure parents would love this.

• Drawing in Motion " using the car window as a canvas, passengers can draw, using their fingers, and see the images integrating with the outside world as the vehicle moves along.
• Zooming into captured moments in time " the window becomes a screen for passengers to zoom-in on outside objects to see it in a brand new perspective.
• Translating the world in a local language " passengers are exposed to new languages and cultures as they can select elements outside the window and receive a real-time translation in a local language.
• Augmented Distances " pinpoint landmarks in the distance and the window will augment the relative distance to the car on the window surface.
• Virtual Constellations " the car's panoramic roof displays virtual constellations and information about them with the actual sky as a background.

It was created as collaboration between Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design and Toyota Motors Europe.