Mitsubishi shows EMIRAI4 images ahead of Tokyo Motor Show

The car will feature \"next-generation\" human-machine interfacing.

Mitsubishi is has released images of an open-top concept car head of the Tokyo Motor Show. However, this car is built not by Mitsubishi Motors, but Mitsubishi Electric.

Called the EMIRAI4, it follows on the heels of the EMIRAI3 from the last Tokyo Motor Show (Mirai is the Japanese word for "future"). The car is an evolution of the EMIRAI3, eschewing the predecessor's roadster looks for a tall, crossover-height body. It still has no roof, however, and is meant to showcase the company's autonomous and "next-generation" human-machine interface technologies.

The first of those is an augmented reality heads-up display, which uses high-accuracy 3D mapping to locate the car's position on the road. The mapping gets granular enough to locate the car in its lane, and displays the lane guides on the HUD even in bad weather. Another trick involves a "crossed images display" that is described as "a half mirror with diagonal LCD panel and vertical virtual image from another LCD panel." It displays a 3D image of the environment around the car and alerts the driver to dangers in nearby.

As much as the car senses what's around it, it's also sensing the driver. Based on the head position and posture of the occupants, the car can detect when the operator is driving dangerously. It can switch smoothly from manual to autonomous mode, perhaps as a result. The system also monitors each passenger's body temperature and adjusts the climate accordingly. The car can even detect when an occupant is about to open the door, so that it can project a warning light on the road for passing cars or bicyclists before the door actually opens.

The Mitsubishi EMIRAI4 will be shown at the Tokyo Motor Show, which opens October 25.