German optics producer Zeiss is heading to CES next week to show its multifunctional smart glass technology, which can float holographic and augmented-reality content on a transparent surface.
The glass can display head-up displays in cars, 3D control elements in smart homes, and a transparent videocam in the middle of a glass panel.
The technology is built around a thin polymer film that can turn glass into an on-demand screen for communications. The technology aims to combines projection, detection, illumination and filtering functionality.
The technology being presented at CES will include augmented-reality HUDs for car drivers. This could mean that, as well as putting key dashboard and navigation information in a driver's field of view, the smart glass may well extend content display to side and rear windows , for hosting Car2X communications, or blacking out window glass.
This holocam may negate the need for punch holes or notches to accommodate the camera and sensor and could mean that videocams are positioned in the middle of a display with only a minimal effect on the image. Zeiss also indicates that the setup can be expanded to gather environmental data, such as air pollution and UV exposure.
Other possibilities include floating switches where gestures or voice commands activate holographic control elements on an otherwise flat surface in a vehicle or smart home. Windowpanes could serve as adjustable ambient lighting, and the micro-optical layer in glass surfaces could harvest sunlight and channel it to a hidden solar cell to produce energy.
However, Zeiss is not looking to market finished products itself but act as a system provider to OEMs. Zeiss will be at the Las Vegas Convention Centre West Hall at CES 2024 from Jan. 9-12.