Hasta La Gadget!

Cars that automatically stop when a pedestrian is in the way have been in Volvo’s fleet for a while now, but the automaker has just unveiled an update to its existing tech that’ll stomp on the brakes when cyclists are too close for comfort. Announced at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, the revamped system detects how close objects are with a grille-mounted radar and then uses a high-def camera within an auto’s rear-view mirror to discern whether it’s barreling down on a pedestrian or a biker. When bicyclists swerve in front of an automobile heading in the same direction, the setup immediately alerts the driver and applies full brake power — a world’s first Volvo says. According to the Swedish manufacturer, all vehicles outfitted with the pedestrian detection will have the cyclist spotting technology baked in, and it’ll show up in mid-May within the new Volvo V40, S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70 and S80. Head past the break for a video of the feature in action.

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Via: The Verge

Source: Volvo

Car makers have been peddling wireless pedestrian avoidance systems almost as long as there have been automobiles. (We believe one of the earliest was called the “side view mirror.”) GM’s new experiment though, differs from other implementations by skipping out on the 3G, cameras and radar — instead going for a model built around WiFi Direct. The peer-to-peer 802.11 standard hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, but the WiFi Alliance is diligently tweaking the platform and apparently GM thinks its a perfect match for connecting cars, cyclists and pedestrians to each other. Unlike 3G-based systems, there’s little lag between locating and identifying bikes or people crossing the street since the signal doesn’t have to be bounced off a satellite. It also has a leg up on radar detection since WiFi can be a two way pipeline — alerting someone out for a stroll of an oncoming vehicle. Of course, it will be some time before anything like this actually makes it into a production vehicle. But, in the meantime, you can check out the PR and video after the break.

Continue reading GM testing pedestrian detection system powered by WiFi Direct (video)

Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

GM testing pedestrian detection system powered by WiFi Direct (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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