Car night vision ! ???

[afterburn 549]

I have been thinking -
Is there a way to avoid hitting animals, especially at night?
A way to see them?
The deer around here are just suicidal !
I started thinking about car vision, infrared stuff / thermal cameras.
It turns out maybe it is here already, and I am behind the times, again!

Are you guys up to speed on this stuff?
What works, does not work?
Thanx!

https://robofinity.com/products/car-thermal-night-vision

https://www.techradar.com/computing/thermal-master-nv300-max-car-night-vision-camera-review

[ryans65]

BMW has had it for 20 years

[afterburn 549]

Well, that's good!
I'm pretty sure the rest of the industry has not?
We all need it!
SO, who makes the best ad one to add on?

[Seahawk]

I have not driven any of the systems available, but these folks seem to have an excellent approach to what they are really selling:

https://thermalmaster.com/collections/car-night-vision-system



Having flown night vision as well as thermal systems, my concerns are the learning curve (and yet another display) and folks thinking they can drive faster because of the thermal system...

That said, I'd love to test one out

[afterburn 549]

Thanx Seahawk!
Being the cost of one camera is far less than one deer bender, , its just a matter of selection now.

[jyl]

Would the camera of a thermal system have to be placed on the outside of the car, or can it work through a windshield?

[wilnj]

[wdfifteen]

For me, driving at night is difficult enough without something else to monitor.
I can't see how it would be helpful, at least in the situations I've been in. The deer I've encountered have jumped out from behind some cover. One that I didn't actually hit ran full speed into the side of my car! I guess if a deer was IN the road or standing near it, this would help, but in my experience, well - I've never experienced that situation.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by ryans65

BMW has had it for 20 years

So has Mercedes in the S Class. Also very common in higher end ocean going boats, headlights aren’t exactly a thing out there.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by wilnj

ROFLMAO! I'd forgotten about this. Wasn't one of the guys Jackie Chan.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

I have not driven any of the systems available, but these folks seem to have an excellent approach to what they are really selling:

https://thermalmaster.com/collections/car-night-vision-system



Having flown night vision as well as thermal systems, my concerns are the learning curve (and yet another display) and folks thinking they can drive faster because of the thermal system...

That said, I'd love to test one out

Thermal certainly sounds like the way to go.

I drive about 4-5 miles down a road in pitch black at 4am. I'm always on the lookout for deer on the side of the road. I've seen them a handful times over the last 3 years or so. I left to go to work this morning in the thickest fog that I can remember seeing. I got about 10 miles from home and turned around to head back. It wasn't worth it to drive to work in that environment. I saw a bunch of posts on the Internet about accidents, multivehicle pile-ups, and just horrible driving conditions. I'd have loved one of these, but ideally, it would be some sort of HUD, not another screen to look at.

[Eric Hahl]

Didn't work so well for this guy. Well, he was traveling at 140mph! Yes, that's a Deer in there.

[wilnj]

Originally Posted by masraum

ROFLMAO! I'd forgotten about this. Wasn't one of the guys Jackie Chan.

Yep.

Originally Posted by Eric Hahl

Didn't work so well for this guy. Well, he was traveling at 140mph! Yes, that's a Deer in there.

And people say there’s no spare room in the modern engine bay!

[Sarc]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

So has Mercedes in the S Class. Also very common in higher end ocean going boats, headlights aren’t exactly a thing out there.

The Lexus Lx470 had it as well.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Eric Hahl

Didn't work so well for this guy. Well, he was traveling at 140mph! Yes, that's a Deer in there.

At least it didn't hit the windshield at that speed.

I remember a photo from years ago where a Viper on a track hit a bird (turkey, pheasant, something like that) at speed. A lot of the bird ended up squeezed through a hole in the windshield. Fortunately the bird hit on the pass side.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by jyl

Would the camera of a thermal system have to be placed on the outside of the car, or can it work through a windshield?

The reason I ask is, if inside is OK you could use a phone with thermal imager attachment on a mount, as a test.

[afterburn 549]

So far, I have only found the two vendors that sell thermal imaging.
Transparently, none of us is up to speed on this ad on option?
I am still in the dark.

[wilnj]

I think this car ran some version of what you're looking for.

[A930Rocket]

Sounds like the deer need night vision goggles, to see you!

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

For me, driving at night is difficult enough without something else to monitor.
I can't see how it would be helpful, at least in the situations I've been in. The deer I've encountered have jumped out from behind some cover. One that I didn't actually hit ran full speed into the side of my car! I guess if a deer was IN the road or standing near it, this would help, but in my experience, well - I've never experienced that situation.