A vehicle is lying in a blind bend. By radio it communicates with cars passing in the opposite direction, which in turn pass on the information about the potential hazard to oncoming vehicles. Around the hazard, all drivers are warned of the obstacle, they can reduce their speed in time and avoid accidents. In future, a warning notice could even appear directly on the windscreen.
Vehicles that recognise each other, "speak" to each other or to traffic infrastructure, such as traffic lights, road signs or bollards are far from pipe dreams now. In November, Volkswagen Group Research showed the visitors to the World Congress 2005 in San Francisco how these Driving Assistance Systems - which clearly improve safety on the roads and, through their connections to clever traffic guidance systems, bring the driver to the destination without traffic jams - work. Among other things, highlights were presented to the public by the Group's own Electronics Research Laboratory from Palo Alto, California. Many specialist presentations on the most varied subject areas also gave the specialist visitor an insight into the company's current research activities. "The car of tomorrow is mainly characterised by intelligence and capability of communicating with other vehicles and the infrastructure of tomorrow. Our goal is therefore to encourage and help design the establishment of an interdisciplinary, nationwide intelligent infrastructure", emphasised Matthias Rabe, Head of Group Research. Man and his needs for comfort and safety in a vehicle, for an overview of the traffic situation and travel full of experiences as well as unhampered communication with the external world are therefore at the heart of all activities by researchers and developers.
The so-called "crossroads assistant" could ensure more safety at crossroads in future. The traffic events at this typical accident hotspot could be recorded with the help of cameras at crossroads and vehicle-infrastructure communication. The driver can thus be warned at an early stage of dangerous situations, for example with cyclists or other road users.
Driving life (1.2 MB)
