Mercedes-Benz Developed a Way to Turn Your Windshield Into a Screen

Mercedes-Benz has found another place to put screens in your car.

The German luxury marque, which already introduced a display that spans the entirety of the dashboard earlier this decade, just announced a new technology that will allow it to turn the windshield of a vehicle into a screen. And the best part is that the equipment, unlike the aforementioned Hyperscreen, is all but invisible to the naked eye when it is not in use.

The technology, which the automaker is currently calling the Holo Display, consists of two main components: a projector integrated into the dashboard and a special transparent film that is laminated onto the inside of the windshield. The latter uses “holographic optical elements” to reflect the wavelengths of the light emitted by the former, creating an image visible to whoever is sitting in front of it. Mercedes says the technology is capable of producing an image strong enough to be viewed in even bright sunlight, which anyone who has used a current-gen head-up display will tell you is not always the case.

Mercedes envisions the technology being used primarily to provide navigational and vehicle information to drivers. The company has also made an effort to ensure that Holo Display is not overly distracting, although it does mention that it can be used for video calls. The visuals are only visible from certain angles, meaning that they can only be viewed by the person they are being shown to (the driver can’t see what the passenger is looking at, and vice versa). While the person piloting the vehicle will only see information related to the drive, the passenger will, in theory, have access to a wider variety of images, including text for points of interest on the journey and films. The technology is also not permanently visible, meaning that the display is only seen when needed.

The Holo Display isn’t the only new visual technology that Mercedes has been working on. The company is also working on LED display elements integrated into the side and rear windows that allow a vehicle to communicate with its surroundings. The company says the technology, which it has dubbed Intelligent Display in Glass, can be used to project warning signs, safety symbols, and other traffic-related information. And, just like with the Holo Display, it’s basically invisible when it is not in use.