Hyundai and WayRay AG unveiled a prototype of a Holographic Augmented Reality (AR) Navigation System using the Genesis G80 at CES 2019.

Hyundai CRADLE, an innovative business hub, invested in WayRay as a way to further its goal to implement holographic AR technology within the auto industry. Together, the companies have applied the futuristic technology to navigational systems in vehicles for testing and are now working to minimize system errors before mass-production.

“This demo car is the first step of the proof of concept (PoC), but is an important step towards technology-driven innovation,” said Yunseong Hwang, Director of Open Innovation Business Group from Hyundai Motor Group. “Future mobility windshields will be more than just a piece of glass. AR holographic powered glass will serve as a platform to provide new services and open up new in-vehicle experiences.”

The system displays real-time, and detailed images and navigational alerts through the windshield and onto the road, with an adjusted viewing angle for the driver. No headset will be required and the driver will be able to enjoy a safe, undistracted driving experience. The virtual image of 1,310mm x 3,152mm is projected at a distance of 15m from the driver’s eye.

However, the perks do not stop there. In addition to navigational information – lane guidance, destination points, and current speed – WayRay’s augmented reality also displays safety features, such as lane departure and forward collision warnings.

Hyundai and WayRay hope to further incorporate ADAS functions like a rear side warning system and the Highway Driving Assist (HDA) system, alongside V2X (Vehicle to Everything) that will display data about traffic signals, surrounding vehicle information, road and weather conditions, pedestrians, buses, bicycle lanes and crosswalks in real-time.

“As the automotive market is undergoing a profound AR technology-driven transformation, major automakers are quickly adopting AR solutions to find another competitive edge,” said Vitaly Ponomarev, CEO of WayRay. “I believe the strong partnership with Hyundai will help us scale up our deep-tech innovation to build customer-centric solutions at a meaningful scale and make driving more comfortable and safe for everyone.”

Hyundai aims to lead the auto industry into the future using holographic AR displays. They estimate that this technology can expect an average annual growth of 30%.