See where you're going in the dark

In-car technology has a strong presence at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, with one of the cavernous halls filled entirely with cars and related accessories. Much of the space is devoted to mine’s-bigger-than-yours stereo systems, with so much bass filling the room that it was hard to keep the camera steady for a photograph.

More usefully, though, a company called Flir offers drivers the chance to see where they’re going at night. Its PathFindIR thermal imaging equipment lets you see five times further than you could with headlights alone, according to the company.

The demo looks impressive, but given that video from the console is displayed on a console mounted in the dashboard, keeping an eye on the screen and an eye on the road could be distracting. The next step must be to combine the system with a heads-up display.

Without PathFindIr, left, and with it, right

Click here for full coverage of CES 2008 and here for a slideshow of images