14.4: Novel Human-Machine Interface (HMI) Design Enabled by Holographic Laser Projection

Despite the current proliferation of in‐car flat panel displays, designers continue to investigate alternatives to flat and rectangular thin‐film transistor (TFT) panels — principally to obtain differentiation by freedom of design using, for example, free‐form shapes, round displays, flexible displays or mechanical 3D solutions. A perfect demonstration was provided at the 2008 Paris Motor Show by the BMW Mini Center Globe, a novel instrument cluster design which combines lighting, a circular flat panel and a holographic laser projector provided by Light Blue Optics (LBO) to redefine the state of the art in human‐machine interface (HMI). In this paper, the authors will show how the incorporation of LBO's holographic laser projection technology can allow the construction of a unique display technology like the Mini Center Globe, and how such a combination of technologies represents a significant advance in the current state of the art in automotive displays.