Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Street Sign Holo Listing

 Something to make your life easier so that cop doesn't pull you over for misinterpreting a signal.
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You are driving down the street rush hour. You are mad about a bad day at work and there is a ton of traffic. You hit a busy intersection and you get confused and frustrated and loose focus. You then miss a sign that said no U turn and you got cuaght and give a hefty ticket.

This would be a device that would project and organize signs that are posted and also transmitted to the car at appropriate points.

This would basically be a screen on the dash near the defroster. It would somehome project upwards towards the windshield and of course not be too noticebale to the driver.

On all four corners of the car you would have sensors that respond to other sensors that are placed on the signs. To make the sensors cheap and inexpensive, maybe just a repeating signal transmission trapped between the sign lamination.

After the sensors communicate, the signals would then be processed and analyzed by a small component board under the dash. This board orgranizes signs by important that is predefined or customizable per driver. It could orgranize and also warn you in a large fashion about obstacles in the road or detours. Maybe to even find an address.

—neekers, Sep 18 2001

Dan's HUD for his Camaro. http://hud.cz28.com/
Linux laptop -> microcontroller -> vacuum fluorescent display. [jutta, Sep 18 2001]

In Car traffic signals http://www.halfbake..._20Traffic_20Lights
also using HUD [stupop, Sep 18 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]


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Annotation:







       This kind of display is called a heads-up display, or HUD. HUDs are great because they let the drivers keep their eyes on the road, so I think you're on to something.
—jutta, Sep 18 2001
   

       This is an ongoing complaint of mine. I'm expected to know about - and follow - all traffic signage but I don't know of any laws limiting the amount of signage in a particular area.
—phoenix, Sep 18 2001
   

       Take the bus.

I don't know about the USA, phoenix, but in the UK there are laws about signage. Billboards and the like have to be set back from the roadside and any advertising stuff added on to street lights etc has to be licensed by the local council. In a previous existence, I used to spend a lot of time sending bills to people who had erected illegal signs.

<smile> By the way, phoenix. In your 1/2bakery profile, did you really mean to describe yourself as 'not a pendant"? </smile>
—DrBob, Sep 18 2001
   

       When I clicked on this I expected religious fervour - gosh even the signs have haloes, the statues must be walking about.   

       My pet signage hate is that in the UK anywhere with streetlamps has a 30 limit unless it has signs saying otherwise (usually on the lamp posts themselves). It is so easy to miss a few lamps or, suddenly see some and not be able to see the '60' signs (not on every post, turned round by wind, ripped off by vandals, too dark, etc.) So slow down in case there is a camera coming up and find everyone else up your bum.   

       Your idea should be pretty simple to implement for just the speed limit. I would like that.
—snagger, Sep 18 2001
   

       Dammit! Poe'd myself again...   

       Actually, it kinda proves my point.
—phoenix, Sep 18 2001
   

       In the UK there are no laws to limit signage clutter (I'm talking about signs erected by local authorities or highway authorities, rather than advertising signs) - we are expected to use common sense. It is, however, becoming a problem and this idea would be the perfect solution - it just doesn't go far enough. You could effectively get rid of all one-way, no-entry, no right/left turn, give-way, and stop signs if the equipment was installed in all vehicles. You could even get rid of traffic signals - imagine what the streets would look like then! Problems would be caused for pedestrians who use the signs to predict the movements of traffic using these signs and signals though. I can't think of any way round that without keeping the 'hard copy' of the signs in place.   

       <later> already half-baked, see link.
—stupop, Sep 19 2001
   


 

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