Ford unveils Obstacle Avoidance, a system that automatically avoids vehicles and pedestrians

Ford has today presented, at the company’s test tracks in Lommel, Belgium, a prototype equipped with a type of technology that uses automatic steering and braking to avoid collisions with vehicles stopped or braking ahead in the same lane, or to avoid running over a pedestrian.

To coincide with the presentation, a Ford Focus has been prepared, equipped with the Obstacle Avoidance system as part of the research project led by Ford and co-funded by European funds, called interactIVe (Accident Avoidance by Active Intervention of Intelligent Vehicles). This system, which is still under development, intervenes in the event of imminent collisions.

Ford’s Obstacle Avoidance technology first issues warnings if it detects slow-moving objects, stationary obstacles or pedestrians in the same lane ahead of us. If the driver does not steer or brake after these warnings, the system automatically steers and brakes to avoid the collision.

This new system uses three radars, ultrasonic sensors and a camera to scan the road up to 200 metres ahead. If the system detects a slow or stationary object, it first displays a warning and then sounds a beep. If the driver does not steer or brake, the brakes are then applied automatically, while it scans for gaps on either side of the hazard and takes control of the electronic steering to avoid the collision.

So far the system has been tested at speeds of over 60 km/h. Preliminary research data reveals that fewer than a third of drivers involved in rear-end collisions attempted to steer before impact, so this will be an invaluable aid for most drivers.

Source | Ford