With the threat of global warming, and the quest for fun and safe driving, automotive manufacturers are comparing notes on how to advance vehicle technology.
Coined by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a “revolution in safety”, sophisticated car technologies are being introduced every year and most center around occupants’ convenience and vehicle safety. Historically, automakers have focused on engineering vehicles to enhance occupant protection in the event of a crash. That’s why automobiles today have a range of airbags – front, rear, side and even curtains – as well as a long list of safety enhancements, including structural reinforcements to the passenger compartments and advanced safety belts.
The future of vehicle safety has expanded into technologies that help prevent or mitigate crashes. Crash avoidance, or “driver assist,” technologies employ sophisticated software to interpret data from sensors, cameras, and radar based technologies that allow vehicles to sense the environment around them and assist drivers by alerting them to impending dangers.
At the recent Computer and Electronics Show (CES) and Geneva Autoshows, automotive manufacturers introduced the latest in passenger comfort, convenience and vehicle safety. Here are AQ’s top innovation picks that will soon be available in most cars as a standard feature.
Pre-collision technology: This is a complimentary innovation with the autonomous driving and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication modules. The pre-collision technology system utilizes two sensors; a front mounted camera and tiny radar located in the front of the car, probably behind the radiator grill. These devices calculate distance and speed to another vehicle or object and sound a warning for the driver. If this warning goes unheeded the car will apply the brakes itself. Toyota has been working on such an ingenious system. Basically, we’re talking about a device that warns drivers when a potential collision is sensed. There will be visual and immediate audible warnings to assist with the avoidance maneuvering.
Driver assistance: Currently being developed by Hyundai, this software can easily be incorporated into almost any vehicle. The system is a new approach to the heads up display that has become common in many vehicles. The display will show an array of information, such as speed limits, distance to traffic lights, time until the lights change and even the weather forecast. It is designed to improve the information available to a driver and, therefore, improve safety.
Driver-less cars: We all recently got amazed at Tesla’s driverless car when the innovative manufacturer began uploading videos of their robotic cars driving their occupants while asleep behind the wheel. It was a stunt that gave us a preview of what the future of automobile technology has in store for us. This has been a dream for many manufacturers and drivers for some time but it is an incredibly difficult and complex task to create a truly autonomous car. Aside from Tesla, Google has been working on several prototypes and has finally released one which is ready to be tested on public roads. The car needs no input from the driver other than to tell it where you wish to go. Should the design be successful the car will become an office on wheels or a playroom whilst travelling between destinations.
Several of the world’s biggest car makers may be looking into developing robotic cars. This won’t happen in a couple of years, although eventually it might be considering that technology is advancing so fast. At the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, the car exhibits took people’s breaths away. The car that wowed those present was a Mercedes FO15 prototype, also known as the “luxury in motion” car. It generated a lot of buzz mainly because it claimed to be a blend of robotic and driverless vehicle.
Digital gauges: This technology is now being used by some automotive manufacturers such as Toyota, Volkswagen, BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz. Most of today’s mechanical gauges are tough to read; they’re inaccurate and to some extent look outdated. Fully digitized dashboards are the future.
