Japanese researchers develop 'transparent' car

06 Nov 2012

Japanese researchers have developed a 'transparent' vehicle that projects the outside world on its interior.

The car being designed in Tokyo would help drivers with parking, projecting a panoramic view of the area behind the car onto the rear seats, with the view including children, animals, or objects such as poles not visible below the rear window, the Daily Mail reports.

The invention would be a boon for drivers who find it a struggle to parallel park.

The car appears transparent from the inside, which allows drivers to 'see through' the rear bodywork. Two cameras on the boot lid capture a full view behind the car and the images are combined by computer and reflected onto the seats to create the illusion of the back of the car being transparent when looked at from the driver's seat.

A Japanese car manufacturer is reportedly working with the laboratory to put the technology into production.

Other ideas are also under development by researchers. These include making other parts of the car transparent.