This Smart Mirror is Even Smarter

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Gentex-toll-mirror smart mirror

A high tech smart mirror with a toll payment transponder embedded within, may land in the aftermarket in a few years.

No longer will drivers need to stick electronic modules on their windshield for automatic toll payment. And for those who travel widely, they won’t need multiple modules for different systems.

The mirror, by Gentex, includes toll payment technology for all the toll systems in the US but retains a small form factor. It is being offered to OEMs first, and then possibly to the aftermarket.

A Gentex spokesman said, “No other supplier is offering this type of technology in the U.S.”

The earliest the technology would appear in new cars is 2019, followed by the aftermarket in 2020.

A spokesman said, “We are considering an aftermarket version, which if produced, would be available after it appears in the market on an OEM vehicle.  We honor our OEM’s desire to be first to market with our new technology.”  He added that the earliest the mirror would appear in the aftermarket is in the “2020 timeframe.”

Despite the integration of a toll module, the mirror is the same size as the current “Cadillac mirror” or Full Display Mirror that can show a video feed of the area behind the car at the flip of a switch to overcome blind spots (when the driver’s view is obstructed by passengers or cargo in the rear seat). This Full Display Mirror is available to the aftermarket through VOXX.

The rear view mirror may be gaining as a focal point for new in-car technology.  Volkswagen just announced it is developing a mirror along with Mobvoi, initially for the Chinese market, which includes a voice assistant for controlling music, video, mapping and messaging.

 

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