BMW plans to change the traditional wing mirror into a system of cameras that can eliminate blind spots and give advanced lane departure warnings to reduce accidents on the motorway.
Demoed on a 'mirrorless i8 concept', the system uses a combination of 8 cameras to project an image onto a screen where the traditional rear-view mirror would be.
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The idea is to deliver more than 180 degree rear visibility to the driver without them having to take their view off the road ahead. On top of this, the cameras allow much more accurate lane departure warnings, meaning that cars approaching quickly from behind, say on the motorway, can be detected far away in the distance.
Removing traditional mirrors completely also brings a small aerodynamic benefit and improves wind noise at high speed.
Currently BMW offers a system of cameras on the new 7 Series which can give a birds-eye view when parking. Coupled with its gesture control technology, it's possible to control an external image of the car using just your hands. You can see this in action here.
