Transparent Prius Concept Goes On The Road

The concept of making a back seat "transparent" to eliminate blind spots is making the publicity rounds thanks to the so-called "see through Prius" that recently got some exposure in both Los Angeles and Tokyo.

Earlier this fall, Japan's Keio University showed off a "see-through" Prius at Tokyo's Digital Content Expo. Using camouflage technology developed about a decade ago, a small camera captures an image from behind the car and projects it onto the backseat to create an illusion of transparency. The idea is to eliminate blind spots and improve the dashboard camera to give the driver a good, but not always complete, view of what's going on behind the car.

Toyota USA President and CEO Jim Lentz brought up this technology, as well as other emerging technologies like wireless charging for electric vehicles, during his keynote speech at the Los Angeles Auto Show in late November.