Holograms Help Cyclists and Pedestrians Stay Safe

A new holographic projector system will allow autonomous cars to communicate with pedestrians and cyclists without the need for hand signals from a human driver, according to its creators.

A release from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering in Jena ¹, Germany, reports how a team from the institute has developed the projector system, which was built as part of the MaMeK project, also involving partners including Audi.

‘Imagine a situation in which a cyclist isn’t sure whether an approaching car is giving way or not – but then a bright projection appears in front of the vehicle, indicating that it has detected the bike and is waiting for it,’ the Fraunhofer announcement said. ‘This is one example of how cars and humans might communicate with one another on the streets of the future.’