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GM says advanced camera-based active safety equipment on the Equinox, Terrain, Volt and Malibu. A system including the haptic or jiggling seats will be available on 2014 Chevrolet and GMC full-size pickups.
Near-future systems
Lexus upped the ante at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in January when it showed off its advanced safety research vehicle. This LS Hybrid was fitted with advanced GPS, forward and side-facing radars and high-definition color cameras, 360-degree laser tracking, a gyroscope and an accelerometer.
Fully alert when the vehicle is in use, the system perceives, processes and responds to its surroundings, Lexus says. Eventually such a system could tell a green light from a red light, measure the movements of the car as it steers, accelerates and brakes on the way to its programmed destination.
Pre-collision systems have been available on high-end vehicles for several years. These typically sense when a collision is imminent and will tighten safety belts, apply brakes, close an open sunroof and windows and unlock doors. Mercedes-Benz's Pre-Safe does just that, and adjusts the front headrests for the best support. It employs a brake that assists the driver in applying full, 100 percent braking and is capable of full braking without driver response.
The current pre-collision system from Lexus uses radar signals in front of the vehicle. It is capable of calculating the distance and speed of vehicles ahead and can figure out if they might be hit.
A new twist to the Lexus system is a driver attention monitor. This watchdog uses an infrared camera behind the steering wheel that keeps track of the driver's head. If the driver's face is turned away from the road when the system detects a potential collision, the monitor sends a warning and, if necessary, gently applies the brakes. If a collision appears unavoidable, seat belts are tightened and brake assist prepped.
Cars going solo
Toyota's Brian Lyons says he can set the cruise control on his 2013 Lexus LS, jump on a high-occupancy lane on L.A.'s crowded tangle of freeways and leave a lot of the driving to the Lexus.
While Lyons follows the eyes-on-the-road, hands-on-the-wheel dictum, he can "go the distance without touching the accelerator or the brake." Lane departure assists him but will not steer the car.
Capp says GM's semi-autonomous "super cruise" project involves combining camera-based lane-centering technology with GPS map data "to detect curves and other road characteristics." It presumably would be able to steer.
While a car equipped with this technology would help drivers undertaking long highway trips, it still is subject to weather and lane marking visibility, he points out.
Shortcomings like skyscrapers or tunnels interfering with GPS communication or cameras unable to get a clear picture need to be factored in when use and reliability are being determined, says GM's Capp.
Audi has turned its attention to helping urban drivers in a different way. The German auto maker is talking about what it calls Pilot Parking and Pilot Driver. Using specially equipped cars with small, regular production sensors, Audi demonstrated how a driverless car can pull out of a parking space in a garage and turn a corner at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
These parking and driving systems may be ready for auction by the end of the decade, the company said.
Near-future systems
Fully alert when the vehicle is in use, the system perceives, processes and responds to its surroundings, Lexus says. Eventually such a system could tell a green light from a red light, measure the movements of the car as it steers, accelerates and brakes on the way to its programmed destination.
Pre-collision systems have been available on high-end vehicles for several years. These typically sense when a collision is imminent and will tighten safety belts, apply brakes, close an open sunroof and windows and unlock doors. Mercedes-Benz's Pre-Safe does just that, and adjusts the front headrests for the best support. It employs a brake that assists the driver in applying full, 100 percent braking and is capable of full braking without driver response.
The current pre-collision system from Lexus uses radar signals in front of the vehicle. It is capable of calculating the distance and speed of vehicles ahead and can figure out if they might be hit.
A new twist to the Lexus system is a driver attention monitor. This watchdog uses an infrared camera behind the steering wheel that keeps track of the driver's head. If the driver's face is turned away from the road when the system detects a potential collision, the monitor sends a warning and, if necessary, gently applies the brakes. If a collision appears unavoidable, seat belts are tightened and brake assist prepped.
Cars going solo
Toyota's Brian Lyons says he can set the cruise control on his 2013 Lexus LS, jump on a high-occupancy lane on L.A.'s crowded tangle of freeways and leave a lot of the driving to the Lexus.
While Lyons follows the eyes-on-the-road, hands-on-the-wheel dictum, he can "go the distance without touching the accelerator or the brake." Lane departure assists him but will not steer the car.
Capp says GM's semi-autonomous "super cruise" project involves combining camera-based lane-centering technology with GPS map data "to detect curves and other road characteristics." It presumably would be able to steer.
While a car equipped with this technology would help drivers undertaking long highway trips, it still is subject to weather and lane marking visibility, he points out.
Shortcomings like skyscrapers or tunnels interfering with GPS communication or cameras unable to get a clear picture need to be factored in when use and reliability are being determined, says GM's Capp.
Audi has turned its attention to helping urban drivers in a different way. The German auto maker is talking about what it calls Pilot Parking and Pilot Driver. Using specially equipped cars with small, regular production sensors, Audi demonstrated how a driverless car can pull out of a parking space in a garage and turn a corner at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
These parking and driving systems may be ready for auction by the end of the decade, the company said.
