Turning on Audi's Top View camera in the car wash (video)...

[Shomegrown]

[stascom]

Those are some serious computations in real time

I wish autopilot would already be a common feature. Cameras are nice but I would feel safer knowing that people aren't controlling the vehicles on the road.

[TREGinginCO]

That is amazing!

[daveschi]

what is this witchcraft?!

[curvedinfinity]

Wow, that's pretty crazy

[fs454]

Any write ups on how this all works? That is one of the coolest car technologies I've seen come round in years.

[Shomegrown]

Wow, that's pretty crazy

It's nice for normal parking but it really leaves you no excuse for parking like a douche!

[Shomegrown]

Any write ups on how this all works? That is one of the coolest car technologies I've seen come round in years.

4 extremely wide angled cameras are mounted in the grille, rear decklid, and underneath the sideview mirrors.

The magic is the graphics processing to stitch the image into a 360* top view and "undistort" the fisheye perspective of the wide angle lenses.

[curvedinfinity]

4 extremely wide angled cameras are mounted in the grille, rear decklid, and underneath the sideview mirrors.

The magic is the graphics processing to stitch the imagine into a 360* top view and "undistort" the fisheye perspective of the wide angle lenses.

So the part I'm impressed by is the way it seems to build a 3D model of stuff that is coming off the ground. I've done a lot of 3D graphics programming and a tiny bit of computer vision, and I can tell you that is probably not being generated by a matrix projection and is instead generated by some kind of stereoscopic depth field. Really cool tech

[Shomegrown]

So the part I'm impressed by is the way it seems to build a 3D model of stuff that is coming off the ground. I've done a lot of 3D graphics programming and a tiny bit of computer vision, and I can tell you that is probably not being generated by a matrix projection and is instead generated by some kind of stereoscopic depth field. Really cool tech

Cool, thanks for the insight. I'm not an electronics guy so that's a lot more than I know about the technology.

[bbk]

Pretty cool.

[BRealistic]

What are all those beeps? Is the thing cussing?

[Shomegrown]

What are all those beeps? Is the thing cussing?

The parking proximity sensors are spazzing out because of the brushes.

[The Holy Molar]

That's the worst kind of car wash to run your fancy car through is it not?

[RQ1]

[ClownCar]

That's the worst kind of car wash to run your fancy car through is it not?

Was waiting for TCL to chastise you for washing car at a car wash. Did not leave disappointed.

[JMotion]

I've done a lot of 3D graphics programming and a tiny bit of computer vision, and I can tell you that is probably not being generated by a matrix projection and is instead generated by some kind of stereoscopic depth field.

There is no actual depth, or 3d, or stereoscopic-related effect. As mentioned above, it's multiple wide angle views stitched and manipulated to "unwrap" the distorted image. Has more in common with your standard smartphone image-stitching app, than anything stereoscopic, or depth-camera related.

[stascom]

the car itself is a static sprite, if you didn't catch that.

[mx5er]

All that technology so you can park your car without hitting something or curbing the rims.

But it won't prevent that douche from parking too close and giving you a nice door ding and/or scuffing your bumper

[PsyberVW]

There is no actual depth, or 3d, or stereoscopic-related effect. As mentioned above, it's multiple wide angle views stitched and manipulated to "unwrap" the distorted image. Has more in common with your standard smartphone image-stitching app, than anything stereoscopic, or depth-camera related.

Our BMW has this feature (the multiple cameras "surround view" and top-view) too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDvu2...e_gdata_player

Does Mercedes do this yet? My last new MB purchases were in 2007, neither car had this yet.

[Pinstripe]

^

Mercedes finally got into the game with the 2013 GL and GLK.

[respect_my_fast]

jesus thats crazy

[92skirmishgti]

If it could zoom out more I'd put a sun shade up and drive from the 3rd person overhead view!

GRAND THEFT AUTO!!!!

[Shomegrown]

Our BMW has this feature (the multiple cameras "surround view" and top-view) too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDvu2...e_gdata_player

Does Mercedes do this yet? My last new MB purchases were in 2007, neither car had this yet.

Yeah, but I think BMW only offers a truncated 270* view and not a full 360*. I'm not sure about the Mercedes system.

[TJSwoboda]

What are all those beeps? Is the thing cussing?

I was thinking, "He's got missile lock on me! Goddammit, this MiG's all over me!"

[Shomegrown]

I was thinking, "He's got missile lock on me! Goddammit, this MiG's all over me!"

[bizybyker]

what is this witchcraft?!

X2

[Footprints]

I rented an Infiniti FX 35 for a weeklong family vacation a few weeks ago and it had this same feature. I was REALLY impressed by it. It was especially useful in that car because the sight lines to the corners of the car were so bad.

[TangoRed]

I have to give credit to Infiniti for pioneering this back in 2008.

[Jedidub]

Witchcraft

[OOOO-A3]

Any sufficiently-advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Corollary: Any technology which *is* distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.

[Shomegrown]

I have to give credit to Infiniti for pioneering this back in 2008.

I think they were the first with a regular backup camera too.

[VR6boi65]

I think they were the first with a regular backup camera too.

The 04 Lexus LS430 was the first IIRC.

[Ryro]

[RG.Jeff]

thats nuts