crashavoidance
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DARPA helps drones avoid mid-air collisions
Some of the latest consumer drones, such as the DJI Phantom 4, come with an obstacle avoidance system. They're designed for stationary and slow-moving objects, however, like trees and cyclists, rather than aircraft ripping through the sky at 550mph. That poses a problem if we ever want manned and unmanned aircraft playing nicely in the sky. To help, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working on a new sense-and-avoid (SAA) system. The group recently conducted its first test flight, demonstrating that a shoebox-sized prototype can effectively detect and track a Cessna 172G aircraft approaching from different angles.
Authorities want collision avoidance tech to be a standard car feature
A lot of automakers have been developing crash avoidance systems for years, but the technology hasn't made it to most vehicles' feature list yet. The National Transportation Safety Board wants to change that: in a report released today, the agency has recommended for collision avoidance tech to be a standard in cars and all other passengers and commercial vehicles. In addition, it's asking federal regulators (aka the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) to test and rate the crash avoidance systems developed within the past 20 years. The suggestion's already facing opposition from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, though. Its vice president, Gloria Bergquist, told AP that the tech should remain optional, so buyers can decide which driver assist product they want.
Toyota's new crash-avoidance technology takes control of the wheel
Crash-avoidance technology in cars is hardly anything new, of course, but Toyota's gone a bit further than most with its latest effort. While complete details are still a bit light (including any word of an actual rollout to vehicles), the new system is said to use a combination of both front and rear cameras, and millimeter wave radar technology to detect pedestrians or obstacles that could lead to a crash. The real kicker, however, is that when the car does detect a possible collision, it actually takes control of the wheel to avoid it instead of just stopping the vehicle. What's more, that's just one new safety measure that Toyota recently showed off to reporters in Tokyo -- it's also working on things like a pop-up hood that could provide some additional protection in the event of a crash, and a steering wheel that can measure the driver's heartbeat and avoid a crash if they suffer a heart attack.
Nissan shows off bumblebee-inspired, crash-avoiding robot "car"
Nissan's already hard at work on some crash-avoidance systems for regular, human-driven cars, but it looks like it's not stopping there, with it now also showing off its BR23C robotic "car," which apparently takes its inspiration from the humble bumblebee. That comes in the form of the BR23C's laser range finder (or LRF), which acts like a bee's compound eye to detect obstacles up to two meters away within a 180-degree radius. When combined with the slightly mysterious crash avoidance system, that apparently lets the car react "instinctively" the split second it detects an obstacle and maneuver accordingly. Of course, as you can see above, Nissan doesn't seem to be quite ready to test the system with any human passengers just yet, but the company has some big plans for the future, with it aiming to cut its rate of car crashes in half by 2015 compared to its stats from 1995.[Via Autoblog]
