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The Ultimate iDrive
The Investors: Jonathan Fram, managing partner, and Howard Schultz, co-founder, MaveronWhat they've backed: Cranium, Eos Airlines, GameLogic What they want now: A driver's tech fantasy fully realized: an in-dash computer with a keyboard built into the steering wheel and a full-screen heads-up display projected on the windshield. It's not fantasy at all, actually. The technology behind the system that Fram and Starbucks founder Schultz envision -- laser or cathode-ray tubes that convert pixels into projected light -- was invented for jet fighters more than 30 years ago, allowing pilots to read cockpit data without taking their eyes off the sky. Commercial pilots now rely on it, too. Fram says carmakers are too risk-averse to push technology that has obvious safety implications. But projected displays don't distract drivers nearly as much as cell phones or dashboard controls. A GM study has shown that eyes can refocus much faster when they're switching between the road and a projected display than when they're toggling back and forth between the road and the dashboard. What they'll invest: $5 million for a deeply qualified 20-person team to deliver a prototype and a plan for pitching a commercial version to automakers within three years. Send your pitch to: jfram@maveron.com. -- S.H. |
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