How To: Android + Drive Assist = Augmented Reality Goodness for Your Car

While texting and driving may get you a ticket, there are still a ton of uses for your phone in your car, music and navigation just to name a couple. Every Android device comes with access to GPS and traffic updates, but none of those apps really have your back in real-time.

DriveAssist, create by XDA user Razvanel, uses your Android's rear camera to let you know how far pedestrians, vehicles, or other obstacles are from your car. Unlike other augmented reality driving apps, Drive Assist does not lag or skip frames as you're driving, and even flashes a red warning light if something is getting too close.

Step 1: Sign Up & Install

Drive Assist is a beta app and therefore requires you to join its Google+ Community in order to gain access to the Google Play Store download page. Once you've signed up, you'll be free to download the app.

Step 2: Calibrate Your Device

When you open up Drive Assist, the first thing you will need to do is tap Start and Calibrate your screen. To do that, you'll have to place the squares alongside the image viewer within the openings along the border.

Step 3: Start Driving

Immediately after calibrating your device, the screen will switch to a live video feed from your camera. As you drive, you'll notice markers placed on moving objects indicating their distance from you. The border will change color depending on how close they are, so if you see red, stop.

Drive Assist works best with your phone mounted on your car or bike, so be sure to grab one before testing the app out. You will also need to restart the app if you close it or switch to another app while you are driving, because it will need to be recalibrated. If you're using this in your car, I always suggest plugging it into for power, as this could eat away at your battery life.