Bosch’s Virtual Visor is a Sight for Sore Eyes

Across North America, thousands of car accidents each year are caused by sun glare. Traditional visors offer a way to prevent that, but they block a good portion of the driver’s field of vision in the process.

Parts manufacturer Bosch developed the Virtual Visor as a remedy. It’s a simple yet effective solution that was actually honoured as a Best of Innovation in the CES 2020 Innovation Awards this week in Las Vegas. Judges praised its benefits for safety and comfort.

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“Some of the simplest innovations make the greatest impact and Virtual Visor changes the way drivers see the road,” said Dr. Steffen Berns, president of Bosch Car Multimedia.

How does it work? The system links a clear LCD panel with a driver or occupant-monitoring camera to track the sun’s casted shadow on the driver’s face. It uses artificial intelligence to locate the driver within the image from the driver-facing camera and special algorithms to analyze the driver’s view, darkening only the section of the display through which light hits the driver’s eyes. The rest of the display remains transparent so visibility is improved.

“We discovered early in the development that users adjust their traditional sun visors to always cast a shadow on their own eyes,” said Jason Zink, technical expert for Bosch in North America and one of the co-creators of the Virtual Visor. “This realization was profound in helping simplify the product concept and fuel the design of the technology.”

When will we see this innovative visor in a production vehicle? That’s a $1,000 question. Speaking of which, the cost will inevitably be higher than that of a regular sun visor, so expect your next car to be a bit more expensive.