Jaguar's 'Ghost Car' Navigation System Is Straight Up Science Fiction

Jaguar just unveiled a proposed new navigation system that's unlike anything we've ever seen.

Most modern navigation systems instruct drivers using a series of arrows or at best a pictographic representation of a highway exit. However, Jaguar's new experimental system abandons the arrows and instead projects an image of a "Ghost Car" for the driver to follow.

Officially known as "Follow-Me Ghost Car Navigation," the system uses the heads-up-display technology to project an illuminated "ghost car" that looks to be driving right in front of the actual vehicle. 

"Driving on city streets can be a stressful experience, but imagine being able to drive across town without having to look at road signs, or be distracted trying to locate a parking space as you drive by," said Jaguar Land Rover's director of research and technology, Dr. Wolfgang Epple, in a statement.

"We want to present all of this information on a Heads-Up Display in the driver's eye-line, so the driver doesn't have to seek it out for themselves and take their eyes off the road ahead."

In addition to automotive apparition, the experimental navigation system also projects onto the windshield an array of strategic information for the driver to use - such as parking guidance, stop light duration, and geographic landmarks.

This new nav system is related to the company's 360 Virtual Urban Windscreen technology, which features an array of video displays mounted around the car's cabin that virtually eliminates driving blind spots around the vehicle. 

As with Jaguar's Virtual Windscreen, there isn't a set date for the system's debut in a production vehicle. But I wouldn't be surprised to see it in the next generation Jaguar XJL Portfolio or Range Rover Autobiography.