GM Applying Wi-Fi Direct to make crossings safer

GMGMUnited States of America, 1998 > present8 models
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is developing Wi-Fi Direct technology to make four-way stops safer. Wi-Fi Direct is an upcoming technology similar to Bluetooth but with a longer range. One application is exchanging data among vehicles. The data can go between vehicles in as little as a second. It has a range of 200m.

In GM's application external sensor information from infrared, camera or sonar is communicated to other cars via Wi-Fi Direct. If one car detects a pedestrian, the information is communicated to all of the cars in the vicinity. 

GM says that it is working on several similar vehicle-to-infrastructure and vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems. For instance, it could warn drivers in advance of stopped vehicles on the side of the road. 

“This new wireless capability could warn drivers about pedestrians who might be stepping into the roadway from behind a parked vehicle, or bicyclists who are riding in the car’s blind spot. Wi-Fi Direct has the potential to become an integral part of the comprehensive driver assistance systems we offer," said Nady Boules, R&D director of the Electrical and Control Systems Research Lab at GM. 

Another possible use to synching data between a drivers computer and the car while it is in the garage.