For starters, it works via your smartphone.
GM's pedestrian-detection system is based on Wi-Fi Direct, a technology that allows wi-fi devices to communicate with one another. But this is different than having two laptops "talk" over a network. Wi-Fi Direct requires no network at all, permitting wi-fi gadgets to interact directly (as the name implies).
How does it work?
If you've ever used Bump or CardFlick, you have an inkling of how this works. With Bump, for example, two new friends open the requisite smartphone app, then "bump" phones to exchange contact info.
GM's new pedestrian-detection system works in a similar way. Pedestrians download an app to their smartphones, which runs in the background anytime the phone is on. GM's next-gen cars then use Wi-Fi Direct to "see" any app-using pedestrians in their path.
The difference between short-range apps like Bump and GM's new tech is that Wi-Fi Direct can connect devices up to 656 apart. In crowded urban areas, GM vehicles could keep track of hundreds of nearby pedestrians.
The good, the bad
This technology, which is still in the formative stages, has a number of advantages:
However, the technology isn't without its shortcomings. Most notably, it requires that pedestrians download the associated app. If there's no app, Wi-Fi Direct can't communicate with it.
Our take
All in all, this sounds like a very intriguing tech development. While it's not perfect -- a perfect system would be passive, requiring no input from pedestrians -- it strikes us as an innovative concept that could, over time, serve as the basis for many safety improvements.
Also, pedestrian-detection stands to be hugely important in the future. Between the continuing surge of urban populations and the growing popularity of super-silent hybrids and electric cars, pedestrian-detection tech will become even more crucial in preventing accidents.
Courtesy of The Washington Post
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