Technology to prevent collisions developed at Warwick

Jaguar Land Rover have developed a new technology aimed at raising drivers’ spatial awareness and hazard perception to limit the number of bike and motorbike collisions.

The new technology was developed at the Advanced Research Centre on campus at the University of Warwick, which is one of two UK product development centres used by Jaguar Land Rover.

The new range of technology uses a variety of sound, colour, light and touch within the car to alert drivers to potential hazards and warn the driver of approaching bicycles or motorbikes. The technology uses sensors to detect other road users and raise the drivers awareness of these hazards.

The new range uses lights and sounds that drivers will instinctively associate with danger, such as red and orange lighting. The audio system will then be used to alert the driver of the potential hazard’s positioning, by using the speaker closest to the hazard’s actual location.

Another feature to alert the driver when a cyclist is overtaking the car, is that the top of the car seat will extend to ‘tap’ the driver on the appropriate shoulder, prompting the driver to instinctively look over their shoulder at the hazard.

If drivers ignore these warnings and press the accelerator or go to open a door in the path of a cyclist, the accelerator pedal or door handle will vibrate to again prompt the driver of the potential hazard or incident.

The technology uses alerts that should be instinctively recognised by the driver triggering an “immediate response”, according to Dr Wolfgang Epple, director of Research and Technology at Jaguar Land Rover.

Dr Epple also added: “This could reduce the risk of accidents with all road users by increasing the speed of response.”

The Coventry based company have also played a large role in the development and funding of the National Automotive Innovation Centre at Warwick, which is expected to be completed during 2016. The company have invested £50 million into the project, making them the lead partner.