It shouldn’t come as too great a surprise that a great majority of crashes involve pedestrians.
One car company, Volvo, has reacted faster to the fact and devised a system to prevent pedestrian accidents from taking place and it will be available in a matter of months.
In order to test the new technology in big city traffic, a disguised prototype of the Volvo S60 with two safety experts on board has been rolling through the streets of Copenhagen.
With a goal to eventually develop a car that is virtually incapable of crashing. Their first step is the introduction of the Volvo S60 in 2010, with the ability to detect a pedestrian in front of the car and brake automatically if the driver doesn’t react in time.
The Collision Warning system works by combining data obtained from a dual-mode radar unit in the grille and a video camera mounted by the rear-view mirror. While the radar spots approaching objects at a distance, the camera hones in and identifies those potential hazards. If an emergency arises, a warning is sounded, and a light is flashed on the heads-up display.
Enough talk, watch the monstrosity (which presumably won’t look like this once released) in action.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.