Ceres Holographics required an upmarket looking car dashboard that would house its innovative holographic display system. The St. Andrews-based manufacturer wanted to give it the look and feel of a contemporary dash but without the additional clutter of a steering wheel, fixtures, and fittings. A symmetrical form was also paramount, as one half of the final prototype would be produced and displayed at the trade show slated for the following year.

The product's final dimensions plus a speedy assembly were considered throughout the project, as it would be transported regularly to demonstrations.

i4 Product Design conducted a feasibility study, looking at the overall dimensions of car dashboards. With an unwavering focus on symmetry, the team was influenced by interior designs from premium German automobile manufacturers. The first phase was to see what extent the two separate projectors could be housed inside the body. The technical components were then encased within the design, and this allowed the team to focus on the styling of the 1:1 scale dashboard demonstrator.

Once the final CAD was ready, it was sent to a prototype manufacturing partner that provided feedback on the demonstrator's material finish. An important element of the dashboard's final design was a realistic, easy-to-clean surface, which was replicated to a high standard. 

The final product prototype was showcased at CES 2020 and was very well received by businesses and the general public alike. The transparent display system features advantages for automotive applications including a full-colour display, a wide field of view and the desired small package size. The system highlights the unique advantages of aligning Ceres’ holographic optical elements design, digital mastering, and replication equipment with the emerging class of automotive digital light processing technology from Texas Instruments.