Jaguar Land Rover is developing technology that could beam real-time safety information to the driver, and allow passengers to stream 3D movies direct from their seats.

Engineers are working on a powerful new 3D head-up display to project safety alerts, such as lane departure, hazard detection, sat nav directions, and to reduce the effect of poor visibility in poor weather or light conditions.

Augmented reality would add the perception of depth to the image by mapping the messages directly onto the road ahead.

In the future, the technology could be used by passengers to watch 3D movies. Head and eye tracking technology would follow the user’s position to ensure they can see 3D pictures without the need for individual screens or shutter glasses worn at the cinema.

Valerian Meijering, human machine interface and head-up display researcher for Jaguar Land Rover, said: “Development in virtual and augmented reality is moving really quickly.

"This consortium takes some of the best technology available and helps us to develop applications suited to the automotive sector. Not only does it provide a much richer experience for customers, but it also forms part of our Destination Zero roadmap; helping us to move towards a safer, more intuitive and smarter future, for everybody.”