This Clever Rear-View Camera ‘Makes Your Trailer Transparent’

While Valeo’s new innovation in rear-view tech won’t actually vanish your trailer, it does the next best thing thanks to clever camerawork

Now you see it; now you don’t. That’s the neat vanishing act performed on even the largest trailers by an impressive new camera setup from Valeo.

The XtraVue Trailer kit is on display right now at CES. It places a camera on the back of the trailer or caravan and then inlays its visuals over the main rear-view camera output from the car itself. It creates a sort of screen-within-a-screen effect that gives a rearward view as clear as if you weren’t towing anything at all.

This Clever Rear-View Camera ‘Makes Your Trailer Transparent’

This dual-view output is aligned as closely as can be to minimise blind spots and the results are pretty effective in normal driving. A separate screen functions as a rear-view mirror with the car’s rear camera view framing that of the trailer camera. The two are neatly bordered at the edge of the trailer itself.

Not only will this make it much easier to see what’s following you when your conventional mirror views are blocked, but it will also make reversing about 100 times safer. The two images won’t align mid-manoeuvre, but drivers can still see clearly what’s behind the trailer.

For now the bulky screen makes this prototype a bit difficult to imagine in your own car or truck, but the drawback of wide-angle cameras is that you need a big screen or else everything will look too tiny to discern any detail. We’re keen to see where Valeo goes with this, but a neater in-car integration is surely on the cards.

Sponsored Posts

Comments

Chewbacca_buddy (McLaren squad)(VW GTI Clubsport)(McLaren 60

This is quite genius

01/09/2019 - 12:57 |
2 | 0
Gabriel 7

Reminds me of this:

01/09/2019 - 13:11 |
118 | 2
German Perfectionist

In reply to by Gabriel 7

I was literally about to comment that 😂

01/09/2019 - 13:34 |
26 | 0

That’s a Particularly Enigmatic New Invisibility System

01/10/2019 - 01:02 |
14 | 0
Elliot.J99

Wasn’t something like this on Top Gear a few years back?

01/09/2019 - 13:11 |
4 | 0
......

watch some stupid using their phone plowing into the back of this

01/09/2019 - 13:23 |
4 | 4
DL🏁

Ppl will just drive into it?

01/09/2019 - 13:44 |
0 | 0

The screen isn’t on the back of the trailer. It’ll be on the front, the bit the driver sees in their rear-view mirror. The back of the trailer/caravan just has a camera on it…

01/09/2019 - 14:39 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

Great until you need to back your trailer up

01/09/2019 - 14:23 |
18 | 0
White Comet

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

“Why did you back your trailer into our living room”
“What trailer?”

01/09/2019 - 19:00 |
22 | 0
Anonymous

This is a really useful invention! It can save many lives and prevent so many car crashes. I think that all truck manufacturers should develop technologies in this direction. I really hope that very soon I will see the sale of such trucks on my favorite site for the sale of heavy vehicles(https://www.truck1.eu/tractor-units/from-netherlands)! Definitely I want to buuy such a truck.

03/15/2019 - 15:28 |
0 | 0
EV0S R FRIENDS NOT FOOD___

Pointless in Canada during winter

03/26/2019 - 17:25 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Anyone else unable to watch the video?

04/20/2019 - 12:39 |
0 | 0