[Tech Issue] Why don't F1 cars have HUDs?

[SeanBlue]

Originally Posted by http://www.canadiandriver.com/2002/10/16/auto-tech-head-up-displays.htm

The concept of Head-Up Displays is simple. Move the important information a driver needs to see up into their line of sight, so they don’t have to take their eyes off the road. To do this, Head-Up Display (HUD) projects the image so it appears to float in mid air, just pastthe front end of the vehicle. Now the driver’s eyes don’t have to refocus to see gauges and indicators, and then refocus again to see the road ahead. Studies made at the University of Berkeley, California, have found the timing between looking at dash mounted instruments and looking back on the traffic is about two seconds, whereas a head-up display in this configuration takes only 0.5 seconds.

I heard it is illegal because a HUD would communicate with the outside world and could be used to relay unfair information to drivers?

BMW made one for Ralf Schumacher's helmet in 2002 but then what happened? It looks pretty basic but here's a pic:


I'm hoping for something like this:

[GolddustMini]

would a HUD display not impare the drivers vision exactly where they need to see, i.e directly infront of them?

as it is most drivers will only glace occasionally at the information whereas the warning lights will be seen in their periferal vision

[Knowlesy]

Flashy. But what exactly would be the point though?

[Graz]

Didn't Herbert and Zanardi use HUD at Lotus in 1993?

[Dead-Eye]

Vision is limited enough in an F1 car anyway. Taking up space with graphics displaying non-vital information (and vital is probably best defined as "Where does the track go?" and "Where are the other cars?") doesn't seem like a good idea.

[Fox89]

The only useful information I can see a HUD displaying is things like oil, yellow flag zones, accident locations and so on. But they get all that information over radio or track side flags anyway, so what's the point? All a HUD is going to do is make the car/helmet a little bit heavier.

If it aint broke, don't fix it and I there are better things for the teams to spend money on.

[duke_toaster]

Trackside flags are now shown by in-cockpit lights, too.

[Tal Aras]

The HUD would have to be in the helmet, as the cars don't have much in the way of windscreens. that puts more weight in the helmet and more stress on the drivers necks when cornering.

Distraction could also be a big issue. I believe that the Dakar Rally cars have most of the dials/waring lights in front of the co-driver for precisely this reason.

[nea]

Originally Posted by SeanBlue

So this is why Ralfy was slow? I heard hands on the steering wheel was a much quicker way to drive.

[Jamesy-18]

I'm sure the drivers know perfectly well what corner they are driving around without having to have some more techno rubbish! :P

[Rgms320]

Originally Posted by Tal Aras

...that puts more weight in the helmet and more stress on the drivers necks when cornering...

Until this past weekend, I would have agreed with you.

I watched the America's Cup races. (Downright thrilling, BTW. Spectacular boats!) The skipper of USA 17, James Spithill, was using a HUD built into a pair of sunglasses. How large or heavy could sunglasses be?

He wore a laptop in a backpack to drive the HUD, but I don't think the display itself was very heavy at all.

Apparently, HUD technology has come a long way while I wasn't looking.

Tom

[SeanBlue]

so it is legal then but teams stick to the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" philosophy?

[Tal Aras]

Originally Posted by Rgms320

Until this past weekend, I would have agreed with you.

I watched the America's Cup races. (Downright thrilling, BTW. Spectacular boats!) The skipper of USA 17, James Spithill, was using a HUD built into a pair of sunglasses. How large or heavy could sunglasses be?

He wore a laptop in a backpack to drive the HUD, but I don't think the display itself was very heavy at all.

Apparently, HUD technology has come a long way while I wasn't looking.

Tom

Interesting about the sun glasses. Wonder if I can get a pair for marshalling. That way I could have the running order up when flagging.

[Armco Bender]

I watched the America's Cup races. (Downright thrilling, BTW. Spectacular boats!) The skipper of USA 17, James Spithill, was using a HUD built into a pair of sunglasses. How large or heavy could sunglasses be?

They were so far infront the information could have been chiselled onto stone tablets...........

[Rgms320]

Originally Posted by Armco Bender

They were so far infront the information could have been chiselled onto stone tablets...........

[Mr V]

Originally Posted by SeanBlue

BMW made one for Ralf Schumacher's helmet in 2002 but then what happened?

Not that it really matter's but thats in accurate iirc. Schuberth made one that both brothers tried out, not BMW.

[SeanBlue]

Originally Posted by Mr V

Not that it really matter's but thats in accurate iirc. Schuberth made one that both brothers tried out, not BMW.

"The display system was devised by the BMW Technology Office based in Silicon Valley's Palo Alto in collaboration with a local partner company specializing in electronics and with the German helmet manufacturer Schuberth."

I read up more and yep, the helmet itself was Schuberth.

"The system is located in the peripheral vision field of the driver's dominant eye. Thanks to the unique design of the system, the information is projected into the driver's field of vision without his having to actually look at the display. 'The eye very quickly gets used to this small spot and ignores it as if it were a tiny insect on the windscreen,' explains J'rgen Br'gl, project engineer at the BMW office in Palo Alto.'"

That's pretty cool.

(both quotes from http://www.gizmag.com/go/1468/)

[Rgms320]

Originally Posted by SeanBlue

"The display system was devised by the BMW Technology Office based in Silicon Valley's Palo Alto in collaboration with a local partner company specializing in electronics and with the German helmet manufacturer Schuberth."

Wow! USA 17's other name is BMW-ORACLE 90, funded by Larry Ellison (Oracle founder and CEO, Silicon Valley) and co-sponsored by BMW and Oracle.

It's likely that Spithill's HUD sunglasses and Schumacher's helmet HUD have a common heritage.

"The system is locate
d in the peripheral vision field of the driver's dominant eye. Thanks to the unique design of the system, the information is projected into the driver's field of vision without his having to actually look at the display. 'The eye very quickly gets used to this small spot and ignores it as if it were a tiny insect on the windscreen,' explains J'rgen Br'gl, project engineer at the BMW office in Palo Alto.'"

That also jives with a "one eyeball" HUD that would be suitable for inclusion in a pair of sunglasses.

When the commentator mentioned Spithill's HUD, I'd assumed that the system was the result of a large R&D effort, solely for the boat, pushing forward the state of the art. It sounds like they might have simply grabbed an existing off-the-shelf system instead.

Very interesting!

[JamesH]

Originally Posted by Rgms320

The America's cup is turning in to a bit of a travesty really. The only competition is how much money you can throw at it (ring any bells). The boats should really be identical (or built to spec rules). That's the only way to have any sort of relevancy in the race.

[Obi Offiah]

I know that in aircraft that are so equipped, the HUD symbology is focused at infinity preventing the pilot from refocusing as s/he switches scan from inside to cockpit to out front and vice versa. My understanding is that the systems used for road going vehichles are limited in this fashion. Perhaps for F1 its just not worth it?

Obi