See infinitely better in an Infiniti
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
High-tech safety gadgets in luxury cars have almost become the norm these days, but some especially thoughtful devices seem to rise above the din of automotive “bell and whistle-dom.” Enter Infiniti’s new parking assistant, the Around View Monitor (AVM). The name, though descriptive, is not that impressive. The application, however, is both simple and impressive. AVM consists of four tiny cameras cleverly embedded on all sides of the vehicle which, in this case, is the 2008 Infiniti EX due out this December.
Reaching far beyond the usefulness of rear-view cameras, this little device is mind-boggling in its application. There, clear as a bell on your navigation screen, is a “God’s eye view” of your (graphically illustrated) vehicle in real time alongside all the real stuff of life surrounding it -- toys on the driveway, painted parking space lines, the curb, fire hydrants, those irritating concrete parking bumpers, poles in underground parking lots, pedestrians. Everything within a 360-degree area that extends just over six feet in each direction is captured and displayed for your parking and un-parking consideration.
What occurs to you immediately after seeing it in action is - how do they do it? How do camera images that seem to be shot from the side magically become a view from above in real time video?
Infiniti’s director of safety, environmental, Robert Yakushi, said a partnership with Sony to use the latest CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) cameras (think new and improved nanny-cam) and coupled them with a “proprietary” graphics software chip created for Infiniti made this toy possible. The magic begins with the Sony CMOS cameras which shoot and process four “fish-eyed” images from each side of the car.
The in-camera processors then “flatten” the images, and feed them into a software chip. The software “flips” the image and projects it to the screen image (in real time, mind you) from a “heavenly” viewpoint. The result of this complicated technology is an extremely user-friendly safety application. “It’s a high-tech parking aid that goes well beyond reverse camera technology and Infiniti has a commitment to safety that runs very deep,” Yakushi said. “This debut of the AVM will be applied to all Infiniti models going forward.”
However, Yakushi warns against using this device while driving for shear entertainment, however tempting. The feature only works while in reverse and forward at very slow speeds for the purpose of parking. “For many states, this device fits in the same category as DVD players in the front seat area which are considered a distraction risk,” Yakushi mentioned. So, if you get the urge to try to drive with the camera on, you’ll enjoy only three minutes of white-lined entertainment before it shuts itself down.
Although car and option pricing are not yet out on the new Infiniti EX, coming this December, company officials mentioned that the price will closely mirror to the new G35x Sedan which carries a $34,665.00 sticker. The new Infiniti EX showcases this and other first-time-out technologies like self-healing paint (made from a sun-activated gel) and Lane Departure Prevention which, when activated, actually applies the brakes to the opposite wheels when you veer out of a lane without steering, interpreting that you’ve fallen asleep.
--Joni Gray