HELMET-MOUNTED HEAD-UP DISPLAYS are standard issue for F-35 fighter jet pilots. They help aviators keep an eye on the enemy and essential flight data simultaneously, even as pilots look every which way, including up.

Head-up displays have been incorporated into many top-of-the-line vehicles, but they still suffer from a few problems, including the possibility that their placement on the dash cluster can be distracting to drivers due to the need to look down, and not giving a holistic view of obstacles the car might encounter.

But researchers at the University of Cambridge want to change all that… with lasers.

In a new study published in late-April in Optics Express, researchers revealed a new laser-based, holographic head-up display for cars that could make driving significantly safer. It would allow drivers to use augmented reality to see anything from their current speed or where the next turn is to safety-critical items like where pedestrians or street signs are even when blocked from view.
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