In a demonstration of the Nissan Juke's on-board camera technology, stuntman Paul Swift has established a world-record J-turn using only the car’s Around View Monitor (AVM) for guidance.

Swift spun the car 180 degrees with all the windows blacked out, using only the Juke’s four exterior cameras to position himself. He equaled the existing "sighted" record—turning the vehicle from driving backwards to driving forward within a marked lane just 18cm wider than the length of his car—all without crossing over the lane lines at any point.

Stuntman Paul Swift stands beside the Nissan Juke used to perform the record blind J-turn. Image credit: Nissan. A video of the stunt can be viewed here.

Nissan’s AVM system provides the driver with a 360-degree bird’s-eye view of the car and its surroundings. Four camera images taken from above the vehicle are digitally stitched together and displayed on the dashboard screen to visually confirm the vehicle’s position relative to the lines around parking spaces and adjacent objects with the aim of simplifying parking and making it safer. For example, a driver can simultaneously check the rear and front-side views of the vehicle, the points of most concern when parallel parking.

“I don’t recommend drivers try to park using AVM and a J-turn like I did, but I can see how using the AVM technology in everyday driving situations would be a real benefit to [customers],” Swift says.

The AVM system also includes Moving Object Detection, which alerts the driver if an object—for example, an animal or pedestrian—is close to the vehicle. This gives drivers an enhanced awareness of their surroundings in an effort to reduce accidents.