2. Lane Keeping Assist
3. Wrong Way Driver
4. Inflatable Seat Belts
5. Traffic Jam Cam
6. Collision Warning with Brake Assist
7. Blind-Spot Detection
8. Rear Traffic Crossing
9. Pedestrian Detection
10. Enhanced Heads-Up Display
1. Drowsiness Detector
The 2010 Mercedes Benz E-Class features Attention Assist, an array of sensors that continuously monitor more than 70 different parameters to detect fatigue. If drowsiness is detected, a coffee cup icon and “Time for a rest?” message appear on the dashboard with a bell to alert the driver to oncoming drowsiness.
Many cars will soon come with warnings to keep drivers from drifting into the next lane. In the Mercedes E-class, a camera inside the front windshield recognizes lane markings. If the system detects unintentional lane departure, the steering wheel vibrates three times (similar to driving over rumble strips).
3. Wrong Way Driver
BMW developed a system to prevent motorists from entering a highway in the wrong direction and to warn other drivers of the potential danger. Through the car’s navigation system, the technology sends both audible and visual warnings when it detects that a driver is about to join a road in the wrong direction. If the motorist keeps going, priority shifts to warning other drivers through the map on their navigation systems, using wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication.
4. Inflatable Seat Belts
The next-generation Ford Explorer, which goes into production later this year, will feature inflatable seat belts to better protect rear-seat occupants. When crash sensors detect an impact, an air bag inside the seatbelt is filled with cold compressed gas, bursting through the belt fabric and distributing the crash force energy across more of the passenger’s torso.
This mobile app, available on iTunes for $2.99, lets users see current traffic conditions on highways and major roadways, instead of relying on time-delayed radio traffic reports. Right now it’s sold as an app for handheld portable devices, but eventually it could be integrated directly into vehicles, says its developer, Visteon.
Made possible by the use of adaptive cruise control, this technology helps drivers avoid rear-end crashes. Radar sensors can detect slower-moving vehicles ahead, and send a visual “heads-up” signal and an audible warning to alert the driver of a collision risk. If the driver doesn’t react quickly or decisively enough, the system can even activate the brakes automatically. It’s on several high-end cars, like the Mercedes E-class, but is also available in the 2010 Ford Taurus.
When backing out of a space in a parking lot, it can be tough to see past large vehicles. This radar system, activated any time the car is in reverse, warns the driver of traffic crossing behind the vehicle using illuminated icons on the side view mirror and an audible chime.
Volvo’s new S60 is the first to offer this radar system, which warns drivers if it detects a pedestrian in front of the car, and then automatically slams the brakes if the driver fails to respond in time. The driver first gets an audible warning combined with a flashing light in the windshield’s head-up display. The technology can avoid a collision with a pedestrian at speeds up to about 22 miles per hour. At faster speeds, it’ll at least minimize the severity of the impact.
GM and several universities are working on a next-generation heads-up display that combines the use of navigation, night vision and lasers to illuminate the road in low visibility. Infrared cameras in the vehicle identify where the edge of the road is and lasers “paint” that image onto the windshield. The system can also identify and highlight animals or pedestrians that aren’t visible to the naked eye. It can even highlight speed limit signs. (No more “I didn’t see the sign” excuses.)
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