Aftermarket rear view smart mirrors are taking a few leaps forward in technology and size.
Top of the line aftermarket mirrors now sport 9-inch monitors that stretch almost the entire length of the mirror glass (where once the monitor was only a 3.5 inch segment of the mirror).
New aftermarket mirrors are also taking on the role of blind spot monitor indicators for simpler installations that don’t require special indicators on the car’s A-pillars. And suppliers may soon add facial or iris recognition in the future.
Both Rydeen and Vision Tech (Boyo) are considering adding facial recognition to future mirrors. The technology recognizes the driver to automatically adjust seats and other car features to the user’s profile. It can also monitor the driver to determine if he is showing signs of drowsiness at the wheel and issue an alert. In the future, when used with artificial intelligence, it can also act as a “car key,” allowing entry into the vehicle.
Gentex is working on similar features through iris recognition.
Blind Spot Indication
Rydeen is planning to ship a mirror this August and a second mirror this fall that display an amber LED light on either the far right or left edge to indicate an object in the corresponding blind spot.
Gentex (maker of the “Cadillac mirror,” distributed by VOXX) is offering a mirror with blind spot indicators to its OEM customers, but not to the aftermarket.
Advanced Smart Mirrors:
Metra now offers a live-streaming mirror (see above), which, like the “Cadillac Mirror” shows a video feed from a rear camera. The entire 9.8 inch mirror is also a monitor.
The mirror links to an included backup camera. As users drive, they can flip a switch on the mirror and get a live camera view behind the car to eliminate blind spots.
The Metra TE-STM98 mirror also includes a front-facing DVR that records in 1080p to an SD card. The mirror provides a field view of 130 degrees when the backup camera feature is activated. The typical view, without the live-streaming backup camera, is only 40 degrees, said Metra. Suggested retail price is $1,129. Shipping began late last year. See a video demo of the mirror here.
Rydeen is planning to ship in late summer a frameless rear view replacement mirror with blind spot indicators and 4.3 inch monitor called the BSS-MI.
The company is also planning for the fourth quarter, a frameless mirror with a 9.3-inch 4K full-screen monitor. The mirror comes equipped with a DVR on the bottom that uses a single 360 lens to record both inside and outside the vehicle. The mirror can also provide blind spot indicators and Rydeen hopes to add a 4G or eventually a 5G connection to the mirror for DVR viewing from a smartphone. No pricing has been announced. See a video here.
Brandmotion is readying for market in the next 1-2 months a smart mirror with an 8-inch HD screen. Based on the company’s market research, consumers don’t care as much about the screen going from 7 to 9 inches as much as they are wowed by the HD screen, said Brandmotion President Jeff Varick.
Boyo recently began shipping a clip-on streaming mirror that straps over the existing rear view mirror. It has a 9.3-inch touch screen monitor. The model VTR93M has a 1080p DVR so there’s no need for a DVR on the windshield. It gives you either a front or rear video stream that can display on the mirror. In the case of a rear stream, you can view in real time what’s happening behind the car.
Suggested retail price is $229.
