The cost of the system will definitely be prohibitive, but if the PathFindIR II can help you avoid hitting a large animal on a dark, rural road, it will justify itself. That said, you won't find such sophisticated systems in the aftermarket at present. I called out the crudity of the system graphics and the lack of sophisticated computing. The optional installation kit offers some useful pieces of equipment. As for installation, the system is pretty much plug-and-play, so a reasonably competent mechanic could set it up. Installing the camera on the Chevy Aveo, I found this system makes better sense for trucks and larger vehicles, which offer a little more space for the equipment. Given the cost of Flir's PathFindIR II and the involved installation, night vision isn't going to be for everyone. The FLIR Systems company sent me one of their complete Pathfinder IR. That said, viewing the PathFinIR II signal involves occasional glances at the screen, especially when the road ahead looks particularly dark. Yup, you can have your very own FLIR (Forward Looking InfraRed) night vision system. A video signal showing the vehicle's surroundings, similar to a back-up camera, may pass legal muster. Many states in the US make it illegal to have a video monitor in view of the driver, although some of these laws specifically ban television signals. I could have used the monitor included in the PathFindIR II's installation kit, placing it on the dashboard for a more direct view, but that raises an important issue. Mercedes-Benz offers a night vision option that shows up in the instrument cluster, putting it closer to the driver's field of view. The positioning of this monitor in the Aveo, in the center stack, wasn't optimal for viewing while driving. A more sophisticated system would maintain memory of each pedestrian in its view, and be able to extrapolate recognition when another object intervenes. As such, it will lose recognition, and the yellow box, if that pedestrian becomes partially obscured, re-recognizing that person when back in view. The CPU lacks persistence memory, meaning it won't maintain tracking of a pedestrian it recognizes. As such, it will have a difficult time recognizing partially obscured objects. The CPU uses library detection, comparing the imagery it detects to a set of images it knows to be pedestrians, cyclists or animals. The yellow boxes serve as a decent warning, but when it comes to graphics, they are a bit crude, and the system offers no graphics to show direction of travel or speed. The imagery from the PathFindIR II is not all that sophisticated. After seeing how it handled the crowded urban environment, I would expect it to do even better picking out a trio of deer on a dark highway. Not having a herd of elk handy, I was unable to test that aspect of the system. Flir also notes that the system should detect four-legged animals, such as deer and cows, very useful in a rural setting.
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