LG Innotek's Invisible AI Camera Aims to Reshape Vehicle Safety and Design

SEOUL, South Korea – December 29, 2025 – As automakers race to create cleaner, more technologically integrated vehicle interiors, a persistent design challenge has been the conspicuous placement of safety cameras. Today, LG Innotek announced a groundbreaking solution: a 'Next-Generation Under-Display Camera' (UDC) that remains completely invisible behind the dashboard display. The component, set for its public debut at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, leverages artificial intelligence to overcome long-standing image quality issues, potentially revolutionizing both vehicle aesthetics and driver safety systems.

The UDC is a critical component of advanced Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS), which track a driver's state for signs of drowsiness or distraction. By embedding the camera behind the instrument cluster, LG Innotek eliminates the visible lenses that often protrude from dashboards or steering columns, addressing both design preferences and the subtle privacy concerns some drivers feel from being visibly monitored.

A New Era of Mandated Vehicle Safety

The development arrives at a crucial moment for the global automotive industry. Regulators worldwide are increasingly turning their attention to in-cabin monitoring as a key tool to prevent accidents, particularly as semi-autonomous driving features become more common. A distracted or inattentive driver is a significant risk, and DMS technology is seen as an essential safeguard.

Europe is leading this regulatory push with its General Safety Regulation, which will mandate the inclusion of DMS in all new vehicles starting in July 2026. This impending deadline has sent a clear signal to the industry, accelerating the development and adoption of sophisticated monitoring solutions. Following Europe's lead, major automotive markets including the United States, China, and Japan are also actively considering similar mandates. This growing regulatory pressure is transforming DMS from a premium feature into a standard safety requirement, creating a massive market for its core components.

While various sensors can be used, cameras have emerged as the preferred technology for their ability to provide rich visual data, such as tracking eye movement, blinking patterns, and head position. This has fueled a surge in demand not just for any camera, but for solutions that integrate seamlessly into the vehicle's interior without compromising the driver's experience or the designer's vision.

Solving the Invisibility Dilemma

For years, the concept of an under-display camera has been the holy grail for automotive interior designers. The ability to hide the sensor would allow for uninterrupted, screen-centric dashboards that define modern luxury and high-tech vehicles. However, a significant technical hurdle has consistently stood in the way: physics. Placing a camera lens behind a display panel, which is itself emitting light and has a pixel structure, inevitably obstructs light transmission and degrades image quality. Previous attempts at UDC technology often resulted in blurry, noisy, or distorted images, suffering an image quality reduction of around 30% compared to standard, exposed cameras.

This performance drop-off was unacceptable for a critical safety system like a DMS, which requires high-fidelity imaging to accurately interpret a driver's facial expressions and state of alertness. Consequently, automakers have been hesitant to adopt the technology, prioritizing safety performance over aesthetic perfection.

Recognizing this critical industry challenge, LG Innotek initiated a joint development project in 2024 with LG Display, a global leader in automotive display technology. After approximately a year of focused research and development, the collaboration has yielded what the company calls the industry's first 'Next-Generation UDC' that successfully resolves this core trade-off between concealment and clarity.

Breakthrough via Artificial Intelligence

The key to LG Innotek's solution lies not just in the hardware, but in sophisticated, proprietary software. The company developed an 'AI image restoration software' specifically to counteract the degradation caused by the display panel. This software employs advanced algorithms, including 'deblur' functions to sharpen fuzzy images and 'denoise' capabilities to remove visual artifacts captured during imaging.

The result is a remarkable leap in performance. LG Innotek reports that its UDC achieves an image fidelity of at least 99% when compared to a conventional camera positioned directly in front of the driver without any display interference. This near-perfect image recovery means that the DMS can perform its safety-critical function without compromise, while the camera itself remains completely undetectable to the vehicle's occupants. This dual benefit of enhanced design freedom and uncompromised image quality is expected to capture the attention of high-end automakers who have been waiting for such a breakthrough.

Looking ahead, the company plans to expand the camera's capabilities even further. An LG Innotek official stated, "Going forward, the 'Next-Generation UDC' will recognize colors and passengers as well as the driver, enabling customized conveniences such as seat adjustment and interior temperature setting." This transforms the DMS camera from a simple safety monitor into the sensory hub of a truly smart and responsive vehicle cabin.

Sensing a Broader Future

The development of the UDC is a cornerstone of LG Innotek's larger strategic ambition to become a dominant force in the rapidly growing market for autonomous driving and vehicle sensing solutions. The company is leveraging its world-class expertise in smartphone camera modules to build a comprehensive portfolio that includes in-cabin cameras, exterior vehicle cameras, LiDAR, and Radar systems.

CEO Moon Hyuksoo has set an ambitious goal for this segment of the business. "LG Innotek aims to grow its vehicle sensing solutions business to USD 1.4 billion in sales by 2030," he stated. "By continuously delivering innovative components that provide distinguished customer value, we will become a trusted technology partner that realizes our customers' visions."

This strategy is already supported by a series of targeted investments and product launches. The company has introduced a high-performance heated camera that can clear away snow and frost in half the time of competing products, as well as an 'RGB-IR in-cabin camera module' capable of monitoring both the driver and passengers with a single unit. To bolster its capabilities in next-generation sensors, LG Innotek signed a strategic partnership with U.S.-based LiDAR firm Aeva in July and made an equity investment in Smart Radar System, a Korean 4D imaging radar specialist, in September.

This multi-pronged approach to sensing technology positions LG Innotek to offer integrated solutions for automakers building the vehicles of tomorrow. The market outlook validates this strategic focus, with market research firm S&P Global projecting that the global in-cabin camera module market alone is set to grow from USD 1.8 billion in 2025 to USD 5.1 billion by 2035, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 11%.