Automotive giant Nissan has demonstrated new collision avoidance technology that can detect other traffic at intersections.
The firm's "ground truth perception" tech uses systems that are said to provide highly accurate, real-time information about the vehicle’s surrounding environment. Using light detection and ranging (LIDAR) tech, the ProPILOT Concept Zero test car can tell an object's speed, location and the potential risk of collision at an intersection.
Nissan says the system is designed to instantly respond to changing situations and can apply emergency braking or release the brakes when the potential risk has been avoided. The research and testing, which has included recent demonstrations, is part of an effort to expand the firm's autonomous driving offer.
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Earlier this year Nissan confirmed its backing of the ServCity scheme, a project to create a blueprint for the future of driverless vehicles in UK cities. The scheme saw a Nissan Leaf fitted with specialist technology allowing the vehicle to detect an object not within the line of sight of the vehicle, for trials on London roads.
Senior vice president Takao Asami, head of Nissan’s Research and Advanced Engineering Division, said: "Development of this technology is being carried out under Nissan Ambition 2030, the company’s long-term vision. We are on course to develop collision-avoidance technology utilizing next-generation LIDAR technology by the mid-2020s. Aiming to develop future autonomous driving technologies that customers can use with peace of mind, Nissan is working to fully understand the entire range of accident scenarios by analyzing complex accidents that occur in the real world. Our efforts are aimed to substantially improve accident avoidance."
Nissan says it has partnered with cutting-edge companies to develop the tech, which will available on nearly every new vehicle by 2030 . US-based Luminar Technologies has been instrumental in helping to integrate the LIDAR system - which uses light measurement to determine positioning and speed.
Mr Asami has previously said: "Nissan has been the first to market a number of advanced driver assistance technologies. When we look at the future of autonomous driving, we believe that it is of utmost importance for owners to feel highly confident in the safety of their vehicle. We are confident that our in-development ground truth perception technology will make a significant contribution to owner confidence, reduced traffic accidents and autonomous driving in the future.”
Recently the manufacturer's Sunderland plant celebrated having built its 11 millionth car. A milestone that meant on average a new car has rolled off the line at the factory every two minutes, every hour of every day, for 37 years.
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