Ford wants holograms of security guards and dogs running around your car

The weirdest news we’ve had since the launch of the six-wheeled Apocalypse Hellfire family car comes via Ford, who has had a patent granted for 'Smart Vehicle Holograms'.

Potentially the wildest hologram story since Princess Leia asked for help, the patent's appended images (above) show big dogs and security guards in two different scenarios encircling the car. The application states that those holographic sentries may not be to scale, but proposes that the vehicle could notify the driver if the hologram is touched or passed through. Hmm, getting a text message when someone touches air? That’s a new one.

Anyway, the patent details how a collection of integrated holographic camera modules (IHCMs) will project various images, and make them move seamlessly around the vehicle ‘without any noticeable distortion’. It uses a mix of connectivity and image wizardry beyond the entirely full understanding of our tiny minds, but there’s a lot of 360-degree components and talk of frickin' lasers – which of course make everything better. There’s even talk of audio output, too.

Other uses of such images would ‘add user convenience to day-to-day activities’, according to the researchers of this particular project. From viewing menus for restaurants or selecting movies by interacting with the hologram, to listing turn signals and assisting with valet parking, Ford goes on to list a whole load of other possible applications of the tech, making sure it’s covered every possible scenario.

Ford says the holograms shown could also extend to robots, lights, birds, cartoon characters, and famous people, to name but a few – can someone tell Kevin Bacon we’ve found him a new revenue stream?

In fact, holograms in cars aren’t that new. Back in 2016, BMW’s HoloActive Touch concept tech gave drivers virtual ways of controlling the infotainment suite and getting a physical response. On a scale of 1-10, how crazy is Ford's latest venture into holograms to you?