Interactive Car Window Display with AR Overlays and Route Playback Controls

Conventional in-vehicle information systems for rear-seat passengers have been tailored to tourist areas with POIs, proving effective in those contexts. However, these are ill-suited for daily use in urban environments, where vehicles rapidly pass numerous POIs. In such settings, conventional systems face two primary challenges: (1) displaying vast amounts of information on limited screen space, and (2) allowing users to select desired information quickly as the vehicle moves at high speeds. To overcome these challenges, we developed a digital car window system that reimagines the external scenery as “video content.” This system integrates playback control, letting users pause, rewind, or fast-forward the exterior view video. It also features automatic selection of the nearest POI and a steady-paced ticker display of items, up to one item every two seconds. We evaluated the system through laboratory and on-road experiments. In the lab, the system achieved a mean SUS score of 70.5, exceeding the benchmark of 68. On-road testing revealed that repeated use enhanced user comfort and enabled intuitive information searches. Compared to smartphone-based approaches, our system significantly improved the ease of taking photographs, the ease of retrieving information, the enjoyment of riding, and the level of interest in the surroundings. This research advances the practical deployment of in-vehicle digital displays in urban environments.