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I am thinking about trying to figure out a way to do away with my add on [mirrors] by using cameras. Has anyone explored this possibility?
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It is an interesting thought. My first thought is - what kind of display screen do you envision?
In situations where you have time to study what is going on in adjacent lanes, that's great. But the real point of a mirror is that it is available instantly, whenever you need it. A quick glance shows you what you need to know, and you can immediately refocus on the view ahead. A camera setup would have to provide the same utility.
If you have two cameras and a dedicated display screen for each camera, you could do the same - and maybe do it a bit better than with mirrors. But if you want to have only a single display screen, how do you set it up? You can switch the screen between the left and right cameras, either manually or with a timed switcher. But what do you do if the screen isn't showing you what you need at the moment you quickly need it?
Or you could split the screen, and show both cameras at once. That works well, but it calls for a big screen to get a useful view. Do you have space for a big screen? If you try to do a split screen presentation on a small screen, like a single smart phone, my guess is that the result will be pretty poor. Perhaps you could use two smart phones, side by side? Used smart phones with no phone function can be quite cheap, and might be a good solution.
The question of where to mount the screen is interesting. Your instrument panel doesn't have much open space, I'm sure. Putting it down on the floor in front of the console isn't a good idea. And you can't put much on top of the dashboard without blocking some of your view through the windshield.
The question of mounting a camera is interesting, too. It would need to be mounted just as far out as a mirror in order to get the same view. So you still need a frame of some kind, extended out from the side of the vehicle. Of course the payload at the end of it is much smaller and easier to adjust, which is a distinct advantage.
So on the grounds of immediacy, I see a problem with adjacent lane cameras. I need to think about more elegant solutions.
On the other hand, a single camera aimed behind the trailer would be very useful. Mirrors don't work back there, of course, and a rear-facing camera and dedicated display could be a great addition.
So I'm not convinced either way - but there are certainly some interesting questions to be considered.
Bill