WARREN, Mich. When Coke bottle glasses just won't cut it for safe driving, a futuristic windshield might do the trick.

General Motors Corp. researchers are working on a windshield that combines lasers, infrared sensors and a camera to take what's happening on the road and enhance it so aging drivers with vision problems are able to see a little more clearly.

GM's new windshield won't improve their vision, but it will make objects stand out that could otherwise go unnoticed by an aged eye. For example, during a foggy drive, a laser projects a blue line onto the windshield that follows the edge of the road. Or, if infrared sensors detect a person or animal in the driver's path during a night drive, its outline is projected on the windshield to highlight its location.

This is possible because of a transparent coating on the windshield that lights up when struck by ultraviolet light. Sensors have to determine the position of the car in relation to the road, while other devices track the driver's head and eye movement to make sure the image on the windshield isn't skewed.

But the technological issues mean it probably will be awhile before the view through the windshield looks anything like a pilot's head-up display.

"You can see the difficulty of implementing technology like this," GM researcher Thomas Seder said in a recent interview.

Some cars already feature head-down displays, small screens in the dashboard that show an enhanced view of what is in front of the car.

Seder's system seeks to solve at least one problem with a normal head-up display: It can only be seen if the driver's head is in a certain position.

"What's novel here is it's the entire windshield -- no little headbox I have to have my head in," he said. "Here, you can see the image from any position."

Some features would be helpful to drivers of all ages. If a driver is speeding, a pink box frames an approaching speed limit sign to draw the driver's attention.

But the windshield mainly is geared to assist older drivers.

Currently, 12.4 percent of the population is 65 or older, but by 2030, that percentage is projected to jump to 20 percent, or 71.5 million people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

AARP spokeswoman Nancy Thompson said she believes drivers heading toward old age will embrace the technology.

"The boomer population has grown up with technology and is comfortable with technology," Thompson said.

"Our research shows a willingness to adopt technology to make life easier. It seems like a logical extension of the boomer lifestyle to include technology that makes them safer on the road," he said.