Although night vision systems have been used extensively for a wide variety of military applications, only recently have such systems been considered for automotive applications. This paper provides a technological primer for an automotive application of a vision enhancement system (or VES), and reviews the human factors literature, general human factors issues, and accident data relevant to such a system. The automotive VES consists of two primary components, an infrared sensor and a display. VES information can be displayed to the driver in a contact analog fashion on a head-up display, or in a non-contact analog fashion on either a head-down or head-up display. The primary potential benefit of a VES is to improve the driver's ability to see critical driving events (e.g., pedestrians, bicyclists, roadway direction) under nighttime driving conditions.
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