Nissan shows off two more collision avoidance prototypes

Nissan has a knack for pumping out novel safety advancements every few months, and the latest two are in the same vein as a few previous efforts. Two new technologies, Side Collision Prevention and Back-up Collision Prevention, fit into the auto maker's Safety Shield concept to "help protect the vehicle and its occupants from potential risks coming from multiple directions." As for the first, the tech utilizes side-mounted sensors to activate a warning if an approaching vehicle is detected in the drivers intended lane; from there, a yaw mechanism is "activated through brake control of individual wheels to help prevent a potential collision." For the second, an array of sensors detect potential obstacles and triggers an alarm / puts on the brakes if a collision is about to happen. Per usual, there's no mention of when these brilliant ideas will be implemented into production vehicles, but our insurance bills are pleading for "soon."

[Via Gizmag]

[fanthem @ Aug 7th 2008 8:52PM]

This is a great idea. The pic though reminds me a little of Spy Hunter.

[Ariel @ Aug 7th 2008 8:56PM]

Yeah, great. Every time something cool and new is planned "soon", it always takes so long that nobody is interested in it anymore. Like those Lithium Ion batteries that are supposed to have 10x the capacity of current ones, I heard about them so long ago that I'm only mildly interested in them by now. And they're still probably years off.

Now if this collision avoidance system makes it to market within a couple years, I'll be surprised.

[Bunson @ Aug 7th 2008 9:08PM]

I wouldn't want something other than me controlling my vehicle.

[JMMGoalster @ Aug 7th 2008 9:13PM]

well if you get in an accident, not even you will have control of your car. you can thank physics for that one.

[Tom G @ Aug 7th 2008 9:19PM]

Stop being such a control freak, this is a guidance system it isnt going to drive your car for you.

[DakStaka @ Aug 8th 2008 3:17AM]

With almost all vehicles out now you don't have full control, think ABS, stability control, traction control, etc...

[Wwhat @ Aug 11th 2008 2:55AM]

What if you WANT to hit something/one though huh?

[nak @ Aug 7th 2008 9:08PM]

Interesting illustration, because it doesn't look like the blue vehicle is in any danger.

[techieguru16 @ Aug 7th 2008 9:30PM]

Actually, the blue car is backing up as is the top brown car....result = two cars rear-ending each other...

:)

[andres @ Aug 7th 2008 9:35PM]

clearly his car is full of angry bats.

[nak @ Aug 7th 2008 10:23PM]

clearly he is pulling in. who would back-up with those other cars there?

[Stiv @ Aug 7th 2008 11:23PM]

@andres

+1!

[Mark S @ Aug 7th 2008 9:54PM]

This seems like a large liability issue that Nissan would assume when implementing accident avoidance technology. The system does a certain protocol under a given set of parameters. What if applying gas would be necessary in the situation and applying the brakes only causes a more severe accident? Who is liable for the accident? The driver might have known what to do, but the car took control of the situation.

[kojo87 @ Aug 7th 2008 10:19PM]

What the hell Nissan!? how bout just making cars not robots on wheels!

so when should we expect to see this accident avoiding, self-driving, acceleration-hating car to hit the road? this just sounds like a recipe for disaster.

[Balam Herrera @ Aug 7th 2008 10:22PM]

If there is a little glitch in that system things could get bad...

[Brandon @ Aug 8th 2008 11:30AM]

If there is a glitch in the computer that controls your fuel injector things could get bad, but I don't see you complaining on that front!

[Patrick @ Aug 7th 2008 10:25PM]

Is anyone gonna ask why the bottom brown car is on the wrong side of the road?

[eko2 @ Aug 7th 2008 10:34PM]

@ Patrick, not everyone lives in the US you know, as a matter of fact, Nissan is from Japan.

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Aug 7th 2008 10:39PM]

I pay for the gas, I want to be able to ram other cars!

/just to fit in with my comment on the other Nissan 'driver aid' thread

[Bert @ Aug 7th 2008 10:54PM]

This is why you should back in to all packing spaces. In this case the person "pulling out" would see what is going on and be able to decide for themselves if they should say or should they go now.

[Shoeb Khan @ Aug 8th 2008 12:41AM]

i saw a video of Chrysler and dodge already having this system for the next town and country and grand caravan vans.
i wonder if it is a collaborated effort?

[Jon2309 @ Aug 8th 2008 4:59AM]

Hmm, doesn't sound too much of a "brilliant idea", it's just they decided to mount the existing sensors a lot of cars have these days to the sides too.

Although one wonders why this wasn't done earlier.

[Stephen From TechFresh @ Aug 8th 2008 7:33AM]

I watch in Discovery channel, some guy is actually doing similar thing with Trains instead, with GPS.

[bico @ Aug 8th 2008 10:32AM]

Strange, this comes just days after Morgan Freeman's accident in a '97 Nissan Maxima???

[gweedo @ Aug 8th 2008 6:07PM]

Way to go nissan. Volvo's already got stuff for sale like this (see xc60 and their City Safety package). Leave it to the swede's...and they even mounted a laser on it although non-lethal (boring).

[Satish @ Aug 10th 2008 1:48PM]

The Audi Q7 already has this. Blindspot assist and also a lane assist system which it handy if you fall asleep at the wheel...the steering vibrates you awake!!!