and why would we need a mechanic after this is out???

Because the mechanic will have access to the tools, the parts and the AR-guided software as well as the goggles.

But hey, if you can get your hands on all that just to maintain your own car, more power to you! And if you do, you're gonna make a lot of friends very quickly ;)

sounds to me like you have never fixed your own car... and thats just sad... and hey i just realized... i have google so i dont need some expensive goggles

ok now im on a rant... why would a mechanic need this??? shouldnt a mechanic know how to do all this? and if they dont then how did they get to be a mechanic? does this mean there are gonna be a bunch of "mechanics" that dont know what they are doing fixing my car for extremely inflated prices? i gotta tell ya this is like giving the finger to colleges and tech. schools unless this will be part of some college training course and then i say go for it

Most competent mechanics in the U.S. are "homeschooled" ie.. taught by their dads who are already experienced mechanics, which presents a problem if you factor in U.S. demographics. Adult vocational training in the U.S. is a neglected joke just like most public education at the primary level, thus the need for something like this. This is what happens when you neglect training your workforce for decades especially in an area as key as auto repair/transportation.

Guys - check out what Metaio.com is doin! esp. the products Unifeye Planner and Unifeye Prototyping - they are already applied in the industry (Automotive, Aerospace, Shipbuilding, Power Generation, plants)... now think about what is possible as soon as such goggles become really applicable and affordable...!

You guys crack me up. They are showing what is capable not what is going to happen. A qualified tech shouldn't need any of this, but intergrate it into some safety glasses why not.

I work on Jeeps now and then and sometimes I forget a torque spec or what size socket fits. Add to the fact that in my case there are several different years, makes models this would come in handy as a fall back to reading a book that is 4 to 5 inches thick per model.

That level of remove this is kinda corny, but the concept is awesome. Try using this to rebuild a motor or transmission.

This is great for the line techs (remove and replace) but what about the diag guys, this does NOTHING for them, its a nice thought but it will make us lazy.

To Randy, you sir don't understand how complicated BMW's have become. I've worked w/ BMW for a few years now and each and every year they become increasingly more and more difficult to work on. If they were able to implement something like this it could most certainly save A LOT of time and ensure that things are done right the right time. Unfortunately, we no longer live in a time that someone that's "mechanically inclined" can just fix their 2009 BMW 750Li when it breaks.

As a physicist who has recently worked on a project to design a very similar sort of AR goggles, I can tell you that while such a device is feasible and will most certainly be available to the average consumer some day, that day is a LONG way off, so don't get too excited just yet.

to add to Justin's comments...how many times have you taken a body panel apart, only to realise you removed the mounting screws for an interior latch mechanism? The visualization is about being able to have a technician assemble or disassemble correctly with the correct tools. Also without language issues so that a spanish speaking tech can do the same work as an English speaking, or German in the case of BMW. The tech training in Germany is different than in the USA. This is the future and it solves a number of issues.