1 best of : Ford Developing Evasive Steering Assist, Wrong-Way Alert Systems

Ford detailed some of the next-gen advanced safety technologies it’s working on, including adaptive lighting for roundabouts, evasive steering assist, and a feature that detects when you’re driving in the wrong direction.

Many of the features, such as cross-traffic alert with automatic braking, automatic parking, and traffic jam assist, have already been employed by other automakers. But some of the technologies Ford has cooking at its Research and Innovation Center in Aachen, Germany, are unique.

Evasive Steering Assist

This feature uses radar and a camera to detect slow or stationary vehicles ahead, and can scan for potential escape routes in the event there isn’t enough room to brake. The forward collision system sounds when a collision is imminent, and automatically applies the brakes as normal if the driver doesn’t react. But if the driver moves the steering wheel, the Evasive Steering Assist system is activated and helps with steering to maneuver around the obstacle.

Wrong-Way Alert

This system uses a windshield-mounted camera and GPS data to deliver visual and audio warnings when it detects the car driving in the wrong direction. Head-on collisions are among the most dangerous of crashes, so the ability to warn drivers that they’re driving against traffic could help save lives.

Advanced Front Lighting

Adaptive lighting systems that adjust the headlight beams to show more of the road ahead and light the direction you’re traveling have been in use for some time, but Ford’s system takes roundabouts and intersections into consideration. The system can read traffic signs, so it knows what kind of intersection is coming up. At a stop, when turning right, the right headlight illuminates the direction you’re turning while the left headlight lights up the left side so you can see cyclists or pedestrians approaching. When a roundabout is detected, the beam widens and continuously adjusts so that it always lights the road ahead, and then shifts when you’re about to exit.

Ford expects these safety features, and others, to be available within the next two years.

Source: Ford