Posted on 03/06/2013 8:25:39 AM PST by BenLurkin
SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com) — Volvo has unveiled a new cutting-edge device that automatically slams the brakes of a car when it spots and identifies pedestrians and cyclists in its pathway.
The high-definition cameras, which are located in the rear-view mirror and the car’s radar, first sends the driver warning lights and sounds when a person or bicyclist comes too close to the vehicle.
If the driver fails to react, that’s when the car will then come to a stop.
“Volvo has always been the leader in safety. They invented the three-point safety belt back in the 1950s. Take that forward thinking and that’s where we are today,” said Will Saunders of Volvo of Santa Monica.
Drivers believe the new technology could make a difference in people’s lives in today’s world of distracted motorists.
“If you could have that one extra signal or device that would maybe put the brakes on a little earlier, that would be great,” said driver Neal Davis.
According to Volvo, the radar device will be available in May and become standard in all of its 2014 models.
Yeah, I was thinking all is going swimmingly until the auto breaks activate you come to an abrupt stop and the car behind you slams into you, rear ending you. Indeed what can go wrong?
Volvo is starting to make the “SmartCar” more appealing.
This is just a bad idea that will kill sales.
Smart cars are for stupid drivers.
Smart cars are for stupid drivers.
You cannot anticipate the mistaken actions this technology might take. Bicyclists weaving in and out of traffic could cause havoc when it is THEIR duty to be sure and mindful of their surroundings, even when they are illegally passing on the right and “riding” through red lights as “pedestrian crossers”......bad bad innovation bound to make Volvo wish they’d never taken the “we include all” approach to safety.
“Now I can drive a little faster and be a little less attentive, because I know my Volvo will stop itself if necessary.”
It will be like how ABS brakes reduced the number of accidents for a while until people started to depend on them to cover for their own reduced driving skills.
hum?
So what about the guy who ran out of gas, is walking down the freeway, will the car stop?
How does the car tell the difference between someone walking or biking in the bike lane that runs parallel to the car’s lane?
So when car jackers want to make sure you don’t drive off with your own car, they’ll pick this car?
Bruck’s prediction: this will kill more people than it saves.
This will be especially dangerous in the country where there’s limited road space and wild life everywhere.
Lots of data to ID and track "targets" and calculate their current travel vectors and then evaluate the "threat" level. Where there are lane markings, the vehicle knows how close to the boundary both the vehicle and "target" are and projects where both are likely to be for the next few seconds.
The solution to a traffic problem is frequently the application of the brakes ~ something rarely thought of.
Remember, this is a pedestrian in the way.
You could take the same technology to fire your rifle or pistol ~ to make sure you hit your target and not somebody else.
What if I *WANT* to run someone down? Can I disable this feature on the fly?
ABS has not had any such effect ~ however, you can turn it off, and as it became mandatory, you of course ran up against the marketplace yahoos who don’t believe computers can out think them.
No, you'd have to disable the radar and the camera.
************
[robotic voice]....
Please remain calm....
Nothing can go wrong....
...go wrong....
...go wrong....
...go wrong....
***********
[Sunshade driver-cam recording]...
Knowledgeable drivers searching for the spring-loaded red-guarded switch labelled:
OVERRIDE/INHIBIT
This times 1M. I work auto claims and you can't imagine how many people will blame their rear sensors for not going off (or saying the person wasn't there because they didn't). Except, of course, they were there or we wouldn't be talking. Or the people that only use their rear cameras to back. I can't wait until we start getting the claims from the cars that parallel park themselves, but fail.
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