BMW Working on Safety Project for Car-to-X Communication

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is taking part in the German Ko-FAS research initiative that attempts to create new driver assistance systems to reduce driver stress in difficult traffic conditions and make drivers more confident.

The project attempts to make detection of traffic more accurate by using networked sensors, intelligent algorithms to understand the situation and having these technologies respond before the driver could have reacted

“Based on the principle of cooperation with and consideration for other road users, which is a crucial factor in road safety, the benefits of driver assistance systems can be further substantially increased by adopting cooperative approaches,” said Dr. Ralph Rasshofer, BMW’s representative in the project.

One of the new technologies is a better vehicle transponder that is more accurate in knowing where the vehicle is on the road. In the tests, pedestrians and cyclists were equipped with transponders that broadcasted their locations short distances. The cars were equipped with sensors that could detect these signals. The transponders tell the car the speed and direction that the wearer is traveling.

BMW sees the technology as an extension of Car-to-x communication that allows the car and environment to communicate with each other.

Other portions of the Ko-FAS project focused on Car-to-car communication, specifically in intersections. The project’s belief is that by using transponders in cars to broadcast their location, it will eliminate the effect of obstructions on the driver.

“By selectively combining different communication technologies we can come a further step closer to realizing our vision of accident-free mobility,” said Dr. Rasshofer.

Car-to-car communication will be installed in cars relatively soon. The technology is already small enough to work and affordable. However, it cannot be completely relied upon yet because only new cars will have the technology.

Car-to-infrastructure is farther away because local governments will have to pay to install the transponders, and it may be difficult to convince people that they need to wear special clothing to be safer as pedestrians.