By Drew Johnson
Thursday, Jul 26th, 2012 @ 4:57 pm
 
General Motors is developing a new wireless technology that could help future vehicles "see"Â pedestrians on congested streets or in poor visibility conditions.

Using Wi-Fi Direct technology, the system can locate the position of a pedestrian and then relay that information to the driver via alert systems already available on production vehicles. Wi-Fi Direct is used in most smartphones and allows devices to communicate directly rather than relying on a shared access point like a cell phone tower.

However, since the system only works if pedestrians have access to Wi-Fi Direct, GM is also developing a free application that could be downloaded by frequent road users such as bike messengers or construction workers.

"This new wireless capability could warn drivers about pedestrians who might be stepping into the roadway from behind a parked vehicle, or bicyclists who are riding in the car's blind spot,"Â said Nady Boules, GM Global R&D director of the Electrical and Control Systems Research Lab. "Wi-Fi Direct has the potential to become an integral part of the comprehensive driver assistance systems we offer on many of our Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC vehicles."Â

Wi-Fi Direct has an estimated range of 656 feet and is also much faster than bouncing a signal off a cell phone tower. Whereas Wi-Fi Direct can transmit a signal instantly, using an intermediary like a cell tower requires about eight seconds.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 4,280 pedestrians and 618 bicyclists were killed in vehicle accidents in 2010, so the technology could have some real safety implications. GM hasn't indicated when the technology might debut on a production vehicle, but the systems isn't likely too far off.

  

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