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Land Rover augmented reality concept lets you see through your car

The car-maker's 'transparent bonnet' uses cameras and a head-up display to turn the front of your car effectively see-through, giving you a view beneath your auto.

Luke Westaway Senior editor
Luke Westaway is a senior editor at CNET and writer/ presenter of Adventures in Tech, a thrilling gadget show produced in our London office. Luke's focus is on keeping you in the loop with a mix of video, features, expert opinion and analysis.
Luke Westaway

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Land Rover

Land Rover is cooking up a new car concept, that shows you an augmented reality view of what's just ahead of your wheels.

The British auto firm's 'transparent bonnet' (that's the 'hood' to US and Canadian readers) sees cameras nestled within the vehicle's grille, capturing footage of the ground ahead.

That video is then fed to a heads-up display in the cabin, placed over the spot where you'd usually see the bonnet, creating the illusion that the front of your car is effectively see-through, and giving you a better view of the terrain and obstacles under your wheels.

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Land Rover

"We are developing new technologies including the Transparent Bonnet", Land Rover's Dr Wolfgang Epple stated, "to give drivers an augmented view of reality to help them tackle anything from the toughest off-road route to the tight confines of an urban car park."

Land Rover says it'll be showing off the augmented reality concept in its Discovery Vision concept car, at the New York International Motor Show, which kicks off on 18 April.

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