[msb-alumni] Future Fords will use tech to avoid collisions
- From: Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2016 12:44:52 -0400
BlankFuture Fords will use tech to avoid collisions Marco della Cava , USA TODAY
SAN FRANCISCO ' Ford Motor is working on a suite of new driver-assist safety
features for its production cars that stop short of offering full autonomy.
Among the technologies being developed at the automaker's Research and
Innovation
Center in Aachen, Germany, include camera- and laser-enabled systems that can
take over the steering wheel in an emergency to avoid high-speed collisions,
as well as mapping-triggered dash alerts that warn drivers they're traveling
down a one-way road. These and other new safety products, which Ford announced
Thursday, are expected to join the company's existing driver-assist features
within two years. A range of Ford vehicles currently come equipped with adaptive
cruise control, lane departure warnings and active park assist. 'Ford's
investment in research and development is paying off by accelerating innovation
to expand our portfolio of driver-assist technologies that could deliver
real-world benefits to drivers, passengers and pedestrians alike,"'Scott
Lindstrom,
manager of'driver-assist and active safety at Ford, said in a statement. Among
the other technologies being worked are enhanced active park assist, which
takes control of steering, gear selection, and forward and reverse movement to
facilitate parking at the push of a button. With the driver at the wheel,
it'can enable a vehicle to automatically enter and exit a parallel parking
space, as well as reverse into a perpendicular space. Cross-traffic alert with
braking uses radar sensors to monitor the area behind a'vehicle. If the driver
is backing out and does not react to the initial in-car warning, the system
automatically apply the brakes. A coming feature for Ford cars includes new
self-parking technology that can help vehicles squeeze into otherwise dauntingly
tight spaces. (Photo: Ford Motor) Spot lighting technology uses an infrared
camera to detect pedestrians, cyclists and animals and highlights these
potential
hazards for drivers; a camera-based advanced front lighting system widens the
headlight beam at intersections and roundabouts after interpreting traffic
signs; and'Traffic Jam Assist helps the driver keep the vehicle centered in a
lane, plus it brakes and accelerates to keep pace with the vehicle in front.
A range of automakers offer versions of similar technologies. Tesla's Autopilot
functions in a manner similar to Traffic Jam Assist, while Audi's Pre Sense
system monitors for obstructions and provides drivers with a range of alerts
before stopping the vehicle on its own. Ford engineers in Aachen as well as
at R&D facilities in Palo Alto, Calif., and Dearborn, Mich., are also working
on
fully autonomous vehicles that will have neither a steering wheel nor
pedals. Ford CTO Raj Nair has on many occasions said that vehicles should
either
offer a great degree of safety while retaining full driver engagement
or be'completely autonomous, because handing control from a computer back to
the
driver in an emergency is too risky at high speeds. Ford hopes to complete
a production-ready autonomous car by 2021 , the same date given by Volvo,
Google
and others working on self-driving tech.
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