This head-up display for future BMWs is stunning, we’re stunned

Since 2016 the young Toulouse company Eyelights has been interested head up display. After cutting its teeth on kits to be installed on motorcycle helmets, Eyelights have found their way into the human-machine interface in automobiles. We discovered their latest solution in an established demonstrator. Volvo XC40 at CESand we got the “full view”.

Screens even on windows

Greeting us in the DIYed Volvo XC40 for the show is an avatar with our name on the rear window. And it’s only the first of many screens – unconventionally, to say the least – installed in the vehicle. “ Rest assured, not everything will happen to vehicles using our solutions », CEO Romain Duflot reassures us. “ “We’ve put everything out there just to show the state of our research here.”

Because even if the company’s name is not known to the public, Eyelights is already well established in the small world of equipment manufacturers. On the motorcycle side, a major Japanese helmet manufacturer is about to integrate its solutions into mass production, and during the recent ECMA the brand signed up for integration into 500,000 motorcycle windshields. On the car side, Eyelights has been working with AGC, which has been supplying materials to BMW since 2020. “ “This third generation offers better contrast, better resolution and better brightness.”continues Romain Duflot.

speaking, touching, seeing

Whether you are a driver or a passenger, it is right before our eyes. different holographic displays or projectors Its contents are controlled by tactile surfaces. As interesting as it may seem, it’s not about the screen. Different gestures, which we think are pretty simple to integrate, allow you to switch screens and call up different content. Manipulations that can also be done directly with the voice. Moreover, the avatar reflected in the center at the bottom of the windshield is none other than ChatGPT; him again. Ultimately, it will be interfaced with the Microsoft Azure cloud. As for the whole system, an NVIDIA platform It’s certified for the automobile, meaning it’s powerful enough to handle an application that must constantly work through mountains of data.

The demonstrator presents before the driver’s eyes: A holographic projection on the dashboard. The content can of course be customized, but the most important thing here was that it seemed clear, responsive and well-defined to us.

Above, in the direct field of view and in the lower corner of the windshield, we see another projection, also customizable. It constantly adjusts the angle of the image to follow the gaze. The information appears to be placed on a screen whose central axis allows it to always offer the best view depending on where it is viewed. It’s probably a bit tricky, but it works.

Eyelights technology coming to BMW from 2026

And then on the passenger side we find this: the same type of screen in the corner of the windshieldIt can be used to display almost anything you want, be it multimedia, phone or other applications. Just below the demonstrator offers us this: a cinema session (Netflix), look at an Instagram feed, or read the latest headlines from a major daily newspaper. For the immersive side, speakers are integrated into the headrests, which also allows you to listen to your own show without disturbing other passengers too much.

Although all this seems very futuristic, it is actually very close to today. Manufacturer BMW is already implementing several parts of this device. A model to be released in 2026 and according to our young CEO, “ Other brands will follow by 2030 “. The most interesting thing about all this is that there is no doubt that it will cost more, neither from the manufacturer nor from the end customer’s point of view. In short, we will wait and see!