Though Google Glass didn't manage to reach its commercial goals, that hasn't stopped Mini and Qualcomm from building their own augmented reality platform designed to work inside an automotive vehicle.

The platform has been built to go from point A to B in a car, allowing the user to plan the trip, get directions through the goggles and be given further directions on foot. It's BMW's new concept bridging the current automotive/technology gap.

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BMW has been working on the hardware for the goggles designed in the style of early racing goggles, with software and performance help from Qualcomm. It's not the only augmented reality project Qualcomm is backing, currently an active Magic Leap investor.

Announced at the Shanghai Auto Show, the Mini Augmented Vision system is fitted with two 720p displays, a Snapdragon 805 processor and networking through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and pairing chips in order for the goggles to communicate with a smartphone and the car.

Navigation and mapping aren't the only things the Augmented Vision system will offer although BMW and Mini want this to be the primary function of the goggles. The current prototype design isn't well suited for outdoors, meaning it will likely stay in the car.

It's unclear if Mini plans to keep this design or offer a more comforting and reclusive design. Mini has said for the time being it has no plans to commercialize the goggles and plans to take the feedback from users and work on better products in the future.

Inside the car, the goggles are able to display navigation, fuel and speed information at all times with occasional notifications read out by the in-car dictation system. Mini will not allow the user to read the notification while in the car for safety reasons.

It will also limit the number of things on the screen while in the car although outside it will offer new contextual notifications that will alert users about public houses, concerts and things happening nearby.

Mini hasn't discussed how it will access all of this information. Google obviously controls a search engine allowing it to search for information quickly, but Mini will most likely have to partner with either Google or Microsoft to receive these search results.

While the platform seems a bit basic and in places redundant, Mini might be able to build on its early success. With innovations like self-driving coming to the automotive industry within the next five years, we expect the system will become much more advanced as drivers are allowed to do a lot more inside the car.

TagsBMW, mini, Qualcomm, Google Glass