I
need radar; or rather my car does, so I can look ahead beyond what I can
physically see. What I'm actually saying is my vehicle needs some way of
helping me to make better driving decisions in a simple way and less complex
than perhaps a fully autonomous response, some way of warning me that what I
am about to do is hazardous.
After another recent delay (and subsequent cancellation) getting to an appointment, I'm confronted yet again by the conclusion that people are 'not always very good drivers'. Sadly, the very serious traffic collision that stopped me from getting to where I was going resulted in several injuries though thankfully no fatalities. So, I ask why another accident along this essentially straight section of tarmac which has a clear and unobstructed view ahead?
Well
it's a good question and one we've been considering as there are probably a
number of factors that come into play here, with one of the biggest ones
perhaps being driver decision making capability!
So let's just very briefly consider what the primary causes of accidents (road traffic) might be according to research (https://www.cuteinjury.co.uk/): No.1 Distracted Driving, No.2 Speeding, No.3 Alcohol and Drug-Induced Drivers, No.4 Dangerous Driving, No.5 Weather conditions and No.6 Tiredness.
So that means we should perhaps consider whether some sort of autonomous response from the vehicle itself could remove the cause. Not a completely autonomous vehicle, which is another huge subject in its own right, but perhaps a roll-out of a more simplified collision avoidance system in a basic format might help avoid some of these risks and reduce accidents!
We're investigating and developing our understanding of the various technology and capabilities being implemented and developed in a rapidly moving technology area and have seen again recently after our visit to Automechanika what some systems can already do.
Previously having worked on various automated processing machines, robotic integrated systems and various mechanical developments to include complex electronics in sophisticated injection moulded packaging requirements, we can utilise our design and development capability skills to package the electro/mechanical components needed in the devices integrated into the various vehicles we are seeing coming into the market.
