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14-Year-Old Genius Solves Blind Spots
Using some relatively inexpensive and readily available technology you can find at any well-stocked electronics store, Alaina Gassler, a 14-year-old inventor from West Grove, Pennsylvania, came up with a clever way to eliminate the blind spot created by the thick pillars on the side of a car's windshield.
Gassler's actually too young to have a driver's license in most states and has never experienced the frustration of trying to see around those pillars while driving, but that didn't stop her from tackling a problem that automakers have largely ignored. Her solution involves installing an outward-facing webcam on the outside of a vehicle's windshield pillar, and then projecting a live feed from that camera onto the inside of that pillar. Custom 3D-printed parts allowed her to perfectly align the projected image so that it seamlessly blends with what a driver sees through the passenger window and the windshield, essentially making the pillar invisible.
Her invention was part of a project called "Improving Automobile Safety by Removing Blind Spots," which Gassler presented at this year's Society for Science and the Public's Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars) science and engineering competition. (It's basically a next-level science fair minus the cheesy papier-mâché volcanoes.) Her ingenuity was enough to earn her the competition's top honor, the Samueli Foundation Prize, which also netted Gassler $25,000.
A YouTube video of this invention in use is available.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 03 2019, @04:26AM (16 children)
This was pretty obvious, but until the past few years when flexible OLED displays became available it was impractical/impossible.
That said I am pretty sure there are TV shows from 5-15 years ago that depicted cars with exactly this feature on the inside, as well as older sci-fi that had it projecting over all opaque internal window surfaces (Maybe one of the Blade movies?)
Not saying a woman can't be a genius or inventor, this invention just doesn't pass the bar or sniff test.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday November 03 2019, @05:05AM (1 child)
Agreed. It's not a difficult idea to stumble over, but technology had to catch up to the idea before it could be of any use. It's a great idea, but I wouldn't call it genius.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 03 2019, @01:50PM
The have invisible pillars. Also made an invisible car.
Hell Top Gear made an invisible van with STOCK TVs.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Sunday November 03 2019, @05:06AM (3 children)
The fix has had a solution for a long time but the problem has always been cost and not what could be done to fix it. Unless she also invented a cheaper folding LCD for the pillar that doesn't interupt the airbag.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Sunday November 03 2019, @07:37PM (2 children)
Yeah, that also lot of GorillaGlass III to try and protect the things.
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 04 2019, @06:05AM (1 child)
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Monday November 04 2019, @10:11PM
Not particularly, but they do need protection. Every grocery run hauling bags out of the car or horny teenager is going to be banging the heck out of these.
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 2, Funny) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday November 03 2019, @05:08AM (4 children)
The legendary Steve Wozniak had a few things to say about self-driving cars. He said that they will not be viable in the near future. And as an industry insider, I fully agree. I will provide more details later, but I am drunk now so you will have to wait. I will show you why, but now is not the time.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 03 2019, @05:11AM (1 child)
Still drunk, EF?
The last time I was over, I snagged your wallet off of the floor. Took a look at your driver's license. Where most licenses have some kind of statement about donating good organs, yours has a list of organs you need.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday November 03 2019, @05:25AM
Well, then, you can see that my organs are useless: But I'd like my lungs to be put to good use. And smoking tobacco and pot are two good uses of those organs.
Make good use of them, my friend. The night is young!
(Score: 5, Funny) by vux984 on Sunday November 03 2019, @05:13AM
Darn. This is the main reason we need self driving cars.
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Sunday November 03 2019, @07:35PM
1) it's cool, I've still got a little while before I need one.
2) If you are worried about posting drunk then...wait, WHO ARE YOU AND HOW DID YOU GET EF's Account?
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 03 2019, @05:52AM (1 child)
Those cameras and screens also have to support the ridiculously high dynamic range that we encounter between the bright sunny day and a night road that is illuminated only by the headlights, your own or oncoming. I wonder what is better - to depend on technology and not see a shadowy figure, or to look around the pillar and see it. The rear view cameras that already replace glass mirrors in some European cars (and coming to the USA [slashgear.com]) do not need to be so sensitive, as they look into the past, and they are good enough to see a car with lights - not any worse, at least, than a regular mirror. But forward vision is more demanding, and at night drivers regularly have to detect pedestrians or bicyclists in dark clothes who think they are invulnerable.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday November 03 2019, @12:29PM
10,000 or 30,000 nits oughta be bright enough.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by SomeGuy on Sunday November 03 2019, @12:17PM
The "genius" part is that they were able to find a way to inflate the price of cars by cheaply implementing a useless "safety" feature that will easily break or need constant upgrades at the service center. In a few more years, it will be law that everyone has this.
Total f-ing evil genius.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 03 2019, @04:58PM
No need to involve her gender, even if the pseudo-feminists will. This has more to do with class conflict.
How many people here had a great idea when they were kids, but lacked funding, support, PR campaign in the media, etc. Behind every child "prodigy" is somebody with access to lots of resources that the child herself does not have, in addition to a stable home and three square meals per day. The media loves their child prodigies. It's a very Randian narrative.
We should just internalize the idea that some people are übermensch and the rest of us, untermensch. After all, if we had been born as übermensch, we would have self-substantiated access to funding, support, and a media PR blitz with our virtuousness when we were kids too. So we must simply shut up and keep our noses to the grindstone while our betters run society.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Sunday November 03 2019, @05:49PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves