Just recently, Popular Science has named Cadillac’s Rear Camera Mirror as this year’s “Best of What’s New” award winner. This annual award covers the magazine’s selections of the year’s top 100 technology innovations.
According to Cliff Ransom, editor-in-chief of Popular Science, the “Best of What’s New” awards recognize innovations that surprise and amaze them—those that challenge their view of what’s possible in the future. “The award is Popular Science’s top prize, and the 100 winners – chosen from among thousands of nominees – are each a revolution in their respective fields.”
The streaming video mirror enhances field of vision by approximately 300 percent, or almost four times greater than a traditional rearview mirror. The high-res streaming video function also removes obstructions of headrests, passengers and the vehicle’s rear pillars and roof.
With a high dynamic range, the video feed of the camera reduces glare and delivers a crisper image in low-light situations versus a standard glass electrochromatic or auto-dimming, rearview mirror. The 1280 x 240-pixel TFT-LCD in-mirror display with 171 pixels per inch is combined with an HD camera designed to improve rear view lane width and maximize low-light situations.
The camera is applied with a water-shedding hydrophobic coating to keep it clean and able to maintain visibility notwithstanding driving conditions.
Scientists and engineers working on Cadillac’s new innovation have been ranted 10 patents—one of the streaming video mirror and nine for video processing. These patents cover innovations in the field of view, de-warping, camera image calibration, camera hardware design and glare reduction.
The groundbreaking Rear Camera Mirror will reportedly be featured in the upcoming Cadillac XT5 crossover and Cadillac CT6 sedan.
