• Head-up displays, similar to those used for many years
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in military aircraft, could soon become available on trucks and cars, according to Defence Technology Enterprises, the company that was set up in 1985 to find commercial applications for Ministry of Defence-developed technology.
Last week at the Royal Armaments Research and Development Establishment in Surrey, whose work is usually secret, DTE announced some of the developments its socalled "ferrets" have found, for which it believes there are automotive applications.
Among them is a head-up display, using a flat-screen cathode ray tube and holographic elements, which would allow a driver to see such information as road and engine speed without taking his eyes away from the road. Until now the high cost of such equipment has deterred any vehicle manufacturer from using it, but DTE says that a Royal Aircraft Establishment scientist at Farnborough has developed a system which could be installed for as little as £100 per vehicle.
Among the other developments with clear potential on commercial vehicles is a tough, energy-absorbing "rubber wood" laminate and a crown cam gearbox, which has high mechanical efficiency, low wear and virtually zero backlash.