CES 2009: Hands on with heat-sensing FLIR-equipped BMW
by Chris Tutor on Jan 9th 2009 at 11:18AM 
Click above to view a high-res gallery of photos from FLIR's CES 2009 demo.
Just like we thought, FLIR wasn't on board with our plan to drive their night-vision BMW through the Nevada desert, but we did get to check out the car's in-dash display.
Our demo was indoors only, though we still got a good idea of how it works. Showgoers passing in front of the BMW's heat-sensing camera appeared in nice detail despite the relatively small difference in their temperature and their surroundings. FLIR rep Jay James said the camera can detect a .05 degree difference in temperatures, which translates into many more shades of gray on the monitor.
The system is tuned to look several yards down the road and so was thrown off by the number of pedestrians within inches of its bumper. But whenever someone walked through its danger zone, the system's display indicated a pedestrian by outliing that person with a yellow rectangle.
The demo BMW had been retrofitted with the system, but new BMWs with the factory-installed version flash a yellow triangle in the head-up display to alert drivers to take action.
Live Photos Copyright ©2009 Chris Tutor / Weblogs, Inc.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
pat 11:27AM (1/09/2009)
To me it would make more sense, both from an ergonomical and safety standpoint, if the heat sensing display was set up as a heads up display. It just seems like you would end up taking your eyes off the road too often to really use the system to its potential.
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JD 11:33AM (1/09/2009)
Good point.
No idrive, no heat-sensor. Even more reason to shell out the big bucks for idrive?
LMBVette 11:55AM (1/09/2009)
The Cadillac DTS offered the system you are describing several years back. The camera was mounted where the wreath and crest were on the grill. There was then a HUD that displayed the image on the windshield. It was pretty neat.
Thorax 11:38AM (1/09/2009)
Desert, not dessert.
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Howard 5:37PM (1/09/2009)
1) Is this the same infrared technology that those bad guys use to take see-through pictures of women?
2) Please tell me that the camera is retractable and only pop-out when the button on the steering wheel is pressed. And if it does retract, will the 2 missing vertical chrome bar re-appear?
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TigerMil 5:50PM (1/09/2009)
Close but no bra strap. You still have to roll fat bottomed girls in flour to find the wet spot!
Funny, 10 years ago I was at an AUSA convention in DC and FLIR had a helicopter-mounted FLIR gunsight turret powered up in the convention center. You could move it around with a joystick and sure enough it would almost show t!tt$ if the woman was wearing silk and one of those sheer bras. But for the most part it won't.
mm wave technology is SO much better...ask the TSA squids who check your junk next time you go to the airport!!
RITmusic2k 11:52AM (1/09/2009)
This is probably from CES 2009.
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Chris Tutor 12:12PM (1/09/2009)
Yes, RIT. 2009. It's been a hectic week. Headline fixed. And we're no longer driving through our dessert.
Kodd 11:58AM (1/09/2009)
Now, could someone use this technology to recognize the shape of a cop car for me? That would be really helpful!
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TORONTO 12:05PM (1/09/2009)
X-Ray vision.... to see through clothes..... Now that would be impressive!
Come on BMW.... stop slacking off!!!
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Noah 12:09PM (1/09/2009)
Just how well will this FLIR system sense Zombies?
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Vicken 12:28PM (1/09/2009)
Zombies are dead. No body heat. duh.
Thomas 12:23PM (1/09/2009)
I am in Michigan and this type of system would really help with deer. Those bastards really can come out of nowhere, especially at night!
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LDMAN 12:45PM (1/09/2009)
Very nice feature to have on foggy (deer at night) and icy road (ice would read
cooler than asphalt). I would expect a lower resale value for these cars, in the future. Used US spec BMWs are exported to South America, Africa, Asia
and the Middle-East because prices are lower (as a rule/specification
adjusted) in the US compared to the rest of the world.
FLIR is originally a military technology and US Customs might forbid
(even with the FLIR disabled) exporting or even taking the cars out
of North America (let's say a month vacation with your 7 Series in
Monaco).
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DrPhil x-ray 10:03PM (1/15/2009)
you are rights - export of mine and many FLIR models is forbidden.
I had to sign several waivers to the supplier agreeing to not export the unit, and had to provide copies of US citizenship, etc.
Leviathan18 12:54PM (1/09/2009)
why i guess this is consumer grade FLIR
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Colin 1:27PM (1/09/2009)
Caddy does this 10 years ago and BMW is hailed as innovative? ok
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regguy 2:59PM (1/09/2009)
Night vision in a head up display (HUD) doesn't work because the picture is too small to distinguish anything without very high concentration...i.e. it's not helpful.
The BMW system recognizes peds. calculated as being headed in a path across the front of the car, and provides a HUD indicator for location.
Peds. walking parallel to the car e.g. on a sidewalk are seen, but don't trigger a warning.
A side-by-side comparison of the BMW system and Caddy system would be like (no pun intended) night and day. The innovation is in the clarity, zoom function, field of view, countermeasures for icing, warning algorithm, etc.
This is a far infrared FIR (thermal) system vs. a near infrared NIR (illuminators broadcast) system (Toyota/MB). FIR can see much further than NIR but is far costlier. NIR may have a better picture. FIR has no health concerns. NIR must be off when peds. are likely to be close to avoid eye damage (e.g. child in carriage stares at illuminators when crossing street in front of car).
Cop car detection is sold by Valentine, Cobra, and others.
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TigerMil 5:47PM (1/09/2009)
The caddy FLIRS exceeded the export specifications for commercial IR...they were essentially military grade/Figure of Merit systems, but since they were integrated into the cars the export Commerce/State people and DOD agreed to let them go. If someone really wanted to buy a caddy for the FLIR, it WAS possible. The next issue was replacement parts...after all, GM cars do have failures!! So the export people had to come up with all kinds of provisos to ensure accountability for the spare FLIR modules to repair the sheik's FLIR!
BTW, it was fugly then and it's fugly now, especially with that big snout in the missing two vertical bars!
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DrPhil X-ray 10:04PM (1/15/2009)
I have a pathfindIR thermal cam newly installed in my FJ cruiser for the long bad weather ski trips we make in the winter.
100% agree that a Heads up display (HUD) in front of the driver is ideal, and not a top of the console mount - that should be reserved for audio or AV integration screens.
I find the thermal image mesmerizing and any more distraction off center of the road for your eyes would make driving actually more hazardous!
my 2 cents.
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