Jaguar Land Rover Developing Technology to Make Roof Pillars “Disappear” [w/ Video]

While cars are, overall, safer than they’ve ever been, one area in which automotive safety has actually regressed is outward visibility. Thin roof pillars and “hardtop” bodystyles – coupes, sedans and even the occasional station wagon with no middle “B-pillar” to help support the roof – have given way to fat pillars and high door sides that make modern car interiors feel increasingly cave-like. And those bigger blind spots mean more opportunities for drivers to not see the car, pedestrian or other hazard they’re about to hit.

Jaguar Land Rover is proposing a way to neutralize that negative side effect of shrunken daylight openings (DLOs) that involves cameras and LCD screens embedded in the pillars that, together, give the illusion of transparent pillars. Additionally, Jaguar Land Rover suggests making the B-pillars automatically “disappear” when you look over your shoulder when reversing or changing lanes, and projecting a “ghost car” (like what you’d see in Gran Turismo 6 and other racing games when doing a time trial) onto your windshield for you to follow along the route the navigation system suggests. These are all clever ideas that would make driving significantly easier and safer, and we hope to see them on production vehicles soon; that said, we’re still hoping against hope for a return of the four-door hardtop, even if the only thing it accomplishes is giving the whole “four-door coupe” fad a reason to exist.

Source: Jaguar Land Rover