More news on the collision avoidance assistance front, but this time, it has to do with animals – Volvo is developing a system that alerts and automatically brakes for animals on the road.
With thousands of motorists across the globe killed in accidents caused by collisions with wild animals each year, the aim of the project is to develop a safety system that reduces the risk of collisions with said wild animals. The new system is based on technologies from Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake and will be launched on the market in a few years’ time, Volvo says.
The system consists of two parts – a radar sensor and an infra-red camera that can register the traffic situation. The camera monitors the road ahead and if an animal is within range the system alerts the driver with an audible signal. If the driver doesn’t react, the brakes are automatically applied.
As the majority of accidents with animals occur at dusk or after nightfall, it’s essential for the system to function in the dark. The goal, of course, is for the system to function at the normal rural highway speeds, as opposed to the current pedestrian detection system which operates at low speeds, specifically for city usage.
The challenge being faced by the engineers is how to ‘teach’ the system to recognise different animals. A development team from Volvo spent time at a safari park digitally logging film sequences of animals and their various behavioral patterns, focusing on moose, red deer and fallow deer. By driving very slowly along a trail where fodder had been laid out to attract the animals, data was recorded and this will be used to evaluate and develop the sensor system.
In the first stage, the system will respond to large animals that risk injuring the driver or passengers in an impact, such as moose, deer and reindeer. There’s good reason for going with the trio – in Sweden alone, more than 47,000 accidents involving wild animals took place in 2010, 7,000 of them with moose.
The company says that the greatest danger is from collisions with a moose, or Eurasian elk, if you prefer. In an impact with an Alces alces, there’s a relatively high risk of personal injury, since it’s common for the animal to end up on or roll across the front of the car and its windscreen.
The project has been under way for just over a year, though a lot of work still remains to be done. Various technologies are currently being evaluated and software is being developed. And while the system “learns” to recognise various animals, development is also under way on the necessary decision-making mechanisms, which is how and when the protective system is activated to respond.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
I want the same technology for my Proton car!!!!!!!!!!!
since our tech is 10 years behind other developed countries, just wait for another 10 years yek
Don’t they already have efforts in this area? I remember Volvo collaborated with another carmaker, I think it was Saab, to create a crash test dummy in the shape of a moose. They called it Mooses.
They should tune the local spec for Mat Rempits.
I wouldn’t drive this car in Malaysia. Imagine traveling at 110km/h and a stray dog storming out with few cars trailing behind u.
Well, if those cars really are trailing behind u, it is their fault as during our lesen time we already been taught to behind cars between 2 cars distance to prevent any emergency braking.. Somemore those cars which hit behind u are wrong also…
This is good for those which live in Kampung place where some dont even have road lights.. I have friends who have hit cows, goat & even wild animals ( wild boar & even elephants!) their car totally damage kau kau.. but weird those bigger animals like nothing.. just like woke up and walk away.. So imagine this technology will save quite some life also…
Anyway i think this technology using infared is quite good also to detect the heat from bigger animals & also humans from being hit by cars…
lembu,kambing cover tak?
after this what…..? system that avoid collision with ghost…..?
system to avoid a troll like you :D
i likeeeeeee…..they should invent it ASAP….
here if u use the east-west highway we’d have problem with ox or wild elephant end up on your boot and windscreen if you’re not careful…
gonna need this if you’re in Kuala Pilah..haha
kuala pilah got deer meh….?
Something bigger than deer. COWS
good system to avoid wildboar crossing in Kerteh~
I am wondering can this sensor detect the cat and dog?
In malaysian road, cat and dog more than deer….