New Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan will feature an augmented reality windshield

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class will come equipped with a futuristic new augmented reality windshield when it’s released in September.

Mercedes-Benz is calling the technology an ‘Augmented Reality Head-up-Display, which was developed for the company’s cars by Texas Instruments.

The AR windshield will feature a 1.3 megapixel resolution display that will appear as if it’s hovering in the air 33-feet in front of the car.

The display will be customizable by car owners but the basic options for what to show will include current speed, distance traveled, time of day, and temperature, according to a report in Ars Technica.

The system will also helpfully provide a small speed limit icon to remind drivers what the maximum is on whatever road they’re traveling, even if it isn’t marked with physical signs.

It will also work in coordination with now standard depth sensors to show safe following distance for the car directly ahead, showing a glowing green line underneath it that will turn yellow or red if drivers get too close.

The display will also use these red warning lines to show if a driver is getting too close to the side of the road or is in danger of drifting into another lane.

Predictably, the biggest feature is real-time animated GPS navigation assistance, which will appear as arrows that hover in the distance indicating the appropriate turn or exit ramp.

The device will also render a destination icon hovering in front of whatever final destination a person has selected for their GPS system.

Texas instruments has designed the system specifically for the curve and slope of the S-Class windshield so that the display will appear as if its standing upright even though its rendering on an irregular surface.

According to Mercedes it will appear roughly the same size as a 77-inch television viewed from 33 feet away.