Toyota patents a cloaking device that lets drivers 'see' through car pillars to get a 360-degree view of the road
- The 'cloaking device' would be used on A-pillars on the sides of the windshield
- Mirrors are strategically placed to bend visible light around an object
- This allows the driver to see straight through the A-pillars at junctions
- It is unclear when, or if, Toyota plans to implement the system in its cars
The days of having to crane your neck around your car's pillars to see at a junction could soon be a thing of the past, if a new patent is to be believed.
Toyota has filed a patent for a 'cloaking' device, which would allow drivers to see straight through their car and get a 360 degree view of the road.
It is unclear when, or if, Toyota plans to implement the system in its cars.
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Toyota's patent describes a 'cloaking device' that would be used on the A-pillars on either side of the windshield
Toyota was granted the patent, titled 'Apparatuses and methods for making an object appear transparent' by the United States Patent and Trademark Office this week.
The patent describes a 'cloaking device' that would be used on the A-pillars on either side of the windshield.
The device is made up of mirrors, strategically placed to bend visible light around an object, allowing the driver to see through it.
The patent states: 'Light from an object on an object-side of the cloaking device is directed around an article within the cloaking region and forms an image on an image-side of the cloaking device such the article appears transparent to an observer.'
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Since cars were first invented in 1886, the A-pillars have become wider, to help protect the cars in the instance of a crash.
But this had made visibility for drivers more difficult.
And while previous patents have suggested similar cloaking devices, these have featured cameras and other expensive materials.
The device is made up of mirrors, strategically placed to bend visible light around an object, allowing the driver to see through it
The patent added: 'Studies on cloaking devices that appear to make a pillar of a vehicle transparent have been published.
'Such studies disclose the use of metamaterials or the use of video cameras in combination with a display screen to allow an occupant to "see" through the vehicle pillar, thereby reducing blind spots in the vehicle.
'However, metamaterials and video technology use complicated material designs and equipment.
Since cars were first invented in 1886, the A-pillars have become wider, to help protect the cars in the instance of a crash. But this had made visibility for drivers more difficult, and can often lead to crashes (stock image)
The patent states: 'Light from an object on an object-side of the cloaking device is directed around an article within the cloaking region and forms an image on an image-side of the cloaking device such the article appears transparent to an observer'
'Accordingly, a need exists for alternative devices that appear to make a pillar of a vehile transparent.'
It is unclear when, or if, Toyota plans to implement the clocking device in its cars.
MailOnline has contacted Toyota for comment.
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