Virtual revolution

Liquid crystal displays are replacing analog gauges to give drivers more information in a reconfigurable format.

Looking back to the dawn of the automotive era, the methods of steering, shifting, braking, and controlling the throttle have evolved significantly. But over that time, the method of instrumenting cars has seen very little change. There has been some dabbling in linear analog and digital instruments, but the overwhelming standard has been the circular clock-like analog gauges inherited from steam engines.

Finally, with the arrival of virtual instrument panels based on reconfigurable LCD (liquid crystal display) panels, there is the potential for that familiar interface to be replaced. But those circular analog gauges, with their moving pointers, lasted as long as they did because they are a good way to convey important information at a glance, so one of the main things these new video panels may be used to display is a simulation of physical gauges.