3M's Privacy, Directional and IR Films for Automotive

At Vehicle Display Interface (VDI) 2026, Chris Chinnock talks with 3M’s John Vandalowski to cover 5 different demos:

1. Privacy/light control film (co-driver privacy)

Static, film-based solution for restricting driver-side viewing of a co-driver/passenger display.
Sharp 25° angular cutoff, with extinction below ~2.5% beyond that angle — getting dark very quickly, as required for effective privacy.

2. Light management / brightness enhancement films

3M’s established backlight brightness-enhancement films (referred to as “Batman” films). No major new developments — described as ongoing small iterations based on customer needs (e.g., matte finish, higher brightness).

3. Image Direction Film (new)

Built for P-HUD (windshield head-up display) applications, where light from a display bounces off the windshield to the driver’s eyes — the output angle/eyebox alignment isn’t always straightforward.
Uses a tilted prism structure to bend the light’s output angle (demoed at 0°, 11°, and 32°) instead of physically tilting the display, saving interior packaging space. ~32° is close to the practical limit before light transmission drops too much.
Already shown in earlier form last year (physically tilted display); now sold commercially in this newer prism-film form. Also applicable for steering light in high- or low-mounted displays.

4. Near-infrared (IR) transmissive film system (for under-display camera / facial recognition)

A film system — reflector, diffuser, and reflective polarizer — engineered to remain specularly (not diffusely) transmissive in IR while functioning normally in visible light, enabling an IR camera/light source to sit behind a display for driver facial recognition/DMS.
Trade-off: some visible-light performance is sacrificed for IR transmission, which 3M aims to minimize.
Gap: no IR-transparent louver/light-control film exists yet for these systems; a new development project is underway to fill that gap.
Built by combining existing 3M film technologies rather than entirely new polymer materials; developed with industry sampling and feedback.

5. Solar control films (non-display, automotive glazing)

Infrared-reflective films for sunroofs/windshields that block IR heat while letting visible light through — shares underlying technology with the display films.
Demonstrated with an IR heat lamp showing a measurable difference with/without the film.
Key advantage: non-metallic construction, so it doesn’t interfere with radio signal transmission (unlike metal-coated alternatives, which can create a Faraday-cage effect).