GM Developing WiFi Direct-based Pedestrian Detection

By Douglas Perry
published

P2P wireless technology is being explored to help people brake in time to avoid accidents.

General Motors said that it is using the capabilities of WiFi Direct to connect cars with pedestrians and avoid collisions between them.

Using P2P in vehicles is a familiar concept that will show up in our cars in the not too distant future. Last year, Ford demonstrated a system built into its Explorer SUV as well as Fiesta and Focus sedans that enabled an emergency brake system that did not allow the vehicles to crash into another, thanks to a the ability to detect vehicles in poor visibility conditions with reaction time that is superior to that of humans.

GM is heading into a similar direction, but says that collisions with pedestrians can avoided as well. The company announced that it is working on an approach that would integrate WiFi Direct hardware and software with other sensor systems available in cars today to wirelessly interact with WiFi Direct-enabled devices that are carried by pedestrians, bicyclists and car drivers/passengers. Compared to some traffic managements that are proposed today, the WiFi Direct idea is faster than if it were required to use a cell tower and use a centralized information management system. With WiFi Direct, cars and pedestrians can communicate directly.

GM said that "WiFi 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,” which obviously stresses "assistance systems". It is unlikely that the system will interfere with the vehicle other than in the form of a warning system at this time. According to GM, the pedestrian protection component is part of research in vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication systems that enable a wide variety of intelligent services, such as emergency vehicle detection, road and threat alerts, and traffic routing systems.

There was no information when the technology will become available in commercial cars.

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Douglas Perry
18 Comments Comment from the forums
  • sacre
    Jee, someone really wants to screw up the system, all they have to do is throw a tiny WIFI device into a highway and laugh as all the cars stop, swerve, etc.
    Reply
  • nukemaster
    sacreJee, someone really wants to screw up the system, all they have to do is throw a tiny WIFI device into a highway and laugh as all the cars stop, swerve, etc.Wi-FI Jammer :)

    I am guessing they will not use the same frequencies as other devices(if they are smart).
    Reply
  • f-14
    i actually like this idea despite it's some what flawed system, now if they could just figure out a way to prevent drunks from driving i'd give them a medal and a cookie.
    Reply
  • teh_chem
    There are a lot of established methods of obstacle-detection. Don't see why they'd want to use wifi. Unless it's relaying secondary info like GPS coordinates from a pedestrian, I don't see how wifi signal could be nearly precise enough to be beneficial in this application.
    Reply
  • house70
    teh_chemThere are a lot of established methods of obstacle-detection. Don't see why they'd want to use wifi. Unless it's relaying secondary info like GPS coordinates from a pedestrian, I don't see how wifi signal could be nearly precise enough to be beneficial in this application.+1.
    Methods already in existence include use of radar, ultrasound, lasers, even cameras for shape detection (to tell a human obstacle, for instance) would be more accurate than this.
    Another bullshit actually meant as an excuse to control one's hardware. Really, if my WiFi is off (which will be, because I'm on a street and I see no reason to keep it on), this method would fail, unless there will be a backdoor created in the device that allows them to turn the WiFi back on without the user's knowledge.
    f-14i actually like this idea despite it's some what flawed system, now if they could just figure out a way to prevent drunks from driving i'd give them a medal and a cookie.Agreed with the drunk drivers idea; how come they can't figure that one out, yet they come up with this kind of bull?
    Reply
  • oj88
    Agree. What about those pedestrians without wifi devices on them, like seniors and children.
    Reply
  • geeksinhere23
    is good to know that more and more technology approaching and improving for driving safety. I truly hope it will be totally virus free. I don't want this new feature stop me from just making a parallel side parking,
    Reply
  • bobusboy
    Carrying my cellphone and being able to be monitored and tracked (if the government desires) is bad enough. Having an actively transmitting device for the sole purpose of locating me in relation to other people and vehicles is just looking for abuse. Whether It's advertising/marketing, invasive monitoring or fraud (because criminals would find a way to exploit it) I'm not in favour of this idea.
    Reply
  • AndrewMD
    There are a lot of short minded comments about this technology that GM is creating. However, many of today's safety technologies come from companies like GM, Toyota, MB, and others. While everyone thinks they are competing against each other for everything, the automotive industry in a whole works together and collaborates on a number of safety technologies we have today and for tomorrow.

    @John_4 - You don't have to buy a GM car, just know that whatever car you do drive has parts made by GM, Ford, and just about every other manufacture out there.

    @sacre - While you might think that is funny, GM and the other companies involved in this technology have enough smarts to understand rouge devices. If not, just hope your not dumb enough to throw one of these devices into traffic, if you do, I hope they charge you with heavy crime, especially if someone gets hurt.

    @oj88 - Most likely this will be a combination of multiple systems to work together with sensors and cameras.

    @bobbusboy - at this time, technology is getting more consolidated and expensive so companies will eventually sell your access to other companies to recoup.

    Reply
  • GhosT94
    f-14i actually like this idea despite it's some what flawed system, now if they could just figure out a way to prevent drunks from driving i'd give them a medal and a cookie.Google auto pilot cars when it exists on a large scale is the only solution so far
    Reply