{"id":48657,"date":"2013-07-09T22:32:41","date_gmt":"2013-07-10T02:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbach.net\/blog\/index.php\/"},"modified":"2024-04-26T08:02:37","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T12:02:37","slug":"ford-brake-lights-that-can-be-seen-around-corners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/ford-brake-lights-that-can-be-seen-around-corners\/","title":{"rendered":"Brake Lights That Can be Seen Around Corners"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Kevin Fitchard<\/a> at GigaOM<\/a><\/em> reports<\/a> that the <\/span><\/span>Ford Motor Company<\/a><\/strong> (F<\/a>) is testing a new concept in the connected car<\/a><\/strong> world. The Dearborn<\/a>, Michigan-based automaker is experimenting with wireless brake lights<\/strong> that can be seen around corners. <\/span><\/span>Ford<\/a> is testing the vehicle-to-vehicle<\/a> safety research in Germany<\/a> with experimental radio-equipped S-MAX<\/strong> vehicles that communicates with other vehicles. The S-Max alerts nearby vehicles when the car is braking, long before drivers can see it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Ford test is really part of a larger vehicle-to-vehicle communications<\/strong> effort<\/a> that Ford and other global automakers have pursued for years. (rb-<\/strong> I have covered connected cars many times here<\/a>, here,<\/a> and<\/a> here<\/a><\/em>). The author claims the idea is to connect every vehicle on the road into a massive automotive network<\/strong>. Each car itself would be an individual actor, but they would also become aware of the actions and intentions of the vehicles around them<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In such a network, the article states that drivers are no longer dependent solely on their senses to react to road and traffic conditions. An electronic brake light is the most obvious use case for such a system. GigaOM<\/em> says that eyes and feet can only act so fast, but a dashboard light warning the driver of a pile-up just out of sight could be a lifesaver. Chief technical officer and vice president of Ford Research and Innovation, Paul Mascarenas<\/a>, told Australia’s Car Advice<\/a> that \u201cCar-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communications represent one of the next major advancements in vehicle safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

rb-<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Ford system is one of 20 being tested in Germany so it will be many years before a standard system emerges. Ford is also involved with the University of Michigan\u2019s<\/a> Safety Pilot Model Deployment<\/a>, a field test of more than<\/em> 2800 vehicles.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"1963Then there are the privacy<\/strong> concerns. I wonder what Ford or worse yet the Feds will do with all the data generated by these vehicle-to-vehicle communications systems. I think it is likely the automakers will make the data available to GPS or navigation providers of traffic problems on a road if too many smart brake lights go off.<\/em><\/p>\n

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