I'm a little confused. If it "mirrors" your smartphone, what's the difference between this and simply mounting your smartphone to the dash? It is still a distraction from the road, whether it's on your phone, or any other screen, no? If anything, doesn't this increase the likelihood of distraction? EDIT: I just read the makers' comment above and understand the gesture control takes control of the interaction distraction. The point of it being a visual distraction still remains, though.
@matt_aunger Hey Matt, if you mount your phone to the dash or the windshield, it will completely obstruct that portion of your view. the great thing about Astro is that the screen being projected onto is still see-through, while a mounted phone is not. As long as there is technology there will be distractions. Astro takes steps to greatly minimize those distractions. With Astro you can still keep your eyes on the road while doing tasks such as navigating or taking calls.
@cc0724 Don't get me wrong, it's impressive as a product, but doesn't it still enable? the same scenario a dashboard mount does, of an irresponsible driver not paying attention to the road. That's what it boils down to. Saying "As long as there is technology there will be distractions" doesn't really justify it.
Apologies, for being quite oppositional here. I'm of the belief that while driving, your attention should be on the road, not on other tasks.
Hi Hunters!
We're super excited to be launching Astro soon on IndieGoGo!
Astro is the world's first head up display to mirror your phone's screen. You will be able to fully use any of your favorite apps while safely keeping your eyes on the road. Astro also uses gesture controls to do tasks such as answer phone calls and change songs without touching your phone.
"The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year." It's no wonder California implemented the law stating you can no longer hold your phone while driving. Astro will help remove the temptation of reaching for your cellphone to keep drivers safe and out of trouble.
Head over to http://www.headupdisplay.co/ to sign up for updates leading up to the campaign launch. A limited amount of backers will be able to save OVER 50% off on IndieGoGo, so make sure you're one of the first people there!
@cc0724 was just telling my product designer friend a few days that a projectable interface would be cool for the dash with driverless cars coming through, this looks really promising.
@shashwatpradhan Hey Shashwat, thanks for showing interest! It definitely makes the HUD more versatile. Other similar HUDs can only use navigation features or have dedicated and limited apps, so this would definitely be a great fit in driverless cars.
@cc0724 how do you solve for apps or parts of the OS that don't support the landscape orientation? Like Apple Music.
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I literally mounted my phone over my LCD display to solve this problem. Bwahah
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How is this in any way less distracting than looking at the phone screen? Also, there are several heads up displays on the market for mobile phones, so this is hardly new.
Nice to see this. I hope it gets some momentum. I'm shocked by the number of people in LA that drive while texting, snapping, etc. I saw someone on the freeway the other day using their knees to guide the steering wheel while they were texting with both hands.
@erictwillis Hey Eric, we totally agree with your concern about irresponsible drivers. One of the main goals of Astro is to create safer driving conditions. Hopefully we can reduce the temptation to reach for a phone while driving.
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