Maybe you've had this experience: you're looking for an available seat at a crowded cinema. After a few minutes of searching, you find one and sit down. Some minutes later, your friends text asking why you ignored them! They waived at you, and you looked right at them but did not see them! 

This phenomenon is more common than you think. We call it inattentional blindness, which means “looking, without seeing it”. 

In driving, inattentional blindness is quite dangerous as drivers may overlook important real-world events, such as a shift in traffic light color, a car brake, or a pedestrian crossing. The problem becomes even more challenging as it is not uncommon to see drivers distracted using technology, like cellphones. 

Fortunately, technology is evolving, and Augmented-Reality (AR) is one of the promising solutions to reduce distraction potential while driving and performing other visual tasks, like looking for navigation directions or reading a text message. By displaying graphical information directly on the windshield, within drivers’ forward field of view, AR head-up displays (HUDs) allow drivers to perform visual tasks without diverting attention away from the road. Super nice, right? 

 

So, it is better to use an AR HUD rather than a cellphone, right? Not too fast. 

Remember the phenomenon of inattentional blindness? Just because drivers are looking forward, it does not mean they can "see"  what is happening right in front of them! You don't believe it? Watch the video below: