A simple wave or moving hand gesture is usually enough for drivers to let pedestrians know it’s safe to cross the road ahead – but Skoda thinks there’s room for improvement.
The Czech carmaker is developing and testing new technologies to “make roads safer for children, seniors and people with disabilities.”
This includes a robot that can guide people to cross the road safely and new LED displays mounted in the grilles of the cars that show unique animations to tell people when it is or isn’t okay to get out for drivers .
Robotic Roadside Assistance: This is the IPA2X, which is currently being tested as a means of improving road safety, particularly at intersections
The robotic rover, dubbed IPA2X, is being tested in collaboration with the Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics at the Czech University of Technology in Prague.
And it could soon be shooting at the jobs of lollipop men and women in the UK.
The robot, over two meters high, looks like a mobile traffic light that makes its way to the center of a zebra crossing. Once it gets there, it displays a green light and pedestrians can cross
The robot constantly monitors its surroundings so that it can detect a car approaching the intersection
The IPA2X could soon be chasing the jobs of lollipop men and women in the UK
The robot, over two meters high, looks like a mobile traffic light that makes its way to the center of a zebra crossing.
Once it gets there, it displays a green light and pedestrians can cross.
The robot constantly monitors its surroundings so that it can detect a car approaching the intersection.
Two-meter-high sensors allow it to see over parked cars. He then takes to the road when he sees it is safe to do so.
The robot displays information for pedestrians as well as warnings for approaching cars – it shows approaching drivers a stop sign.
It also sends a warning to the car itself, which is shown as an animation on the infotainment display.
Once the pedestrians have crossed the road, the robot returns to the sidewalk.
The moment he reaches the curb, the warning on the car’s dashboard disappears and the driver can continue on his way.
Further developments of the robot will also provide audio alerts, the automaker said.
Skoda is also testing interactive LED display panels embedded in the grilles of its cars. This provides messages to pedestrians to indicate if it is safe for them to cross the road ahead
And Skoda is also testing a second feature in its Enyaq iV, replacing the standard grille with one with LED strips programmable to show moving displays.
It is being developed in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich to help improve communication between motorists and more vulnerable road users.
For example, when the car approaches a pedestrian crossing, it can pre-warn crossing crossings that it has spotted them.
It will then stop and display green arrows, for example, to indicate that it is safe to cross.
Once they have crossed and the car is about to leave, it can display another signal to warn pedestrians that the car is moving.
The LED panels have a selection of programmable displays to interact with pedestrians to signal them to cross the road – or stay on the sidewalk
In more extreme examples, a car approaching the crossing and unable to stop may give a clear signal to pedestrians not to cross.
The symbols currently being tested are green arrows and a green person, plus a warning triangle or a red triangle with a cross – symbols that are widely recognizable.
While many people might consider the technology a bit over the top, the carmaker believes it could potentially reduce the number of injured pedestrians on Britain’s roads.
According to the latest figures, there are 16,293 pedestrians injured or killed every year – that’s more than 300 cases per week.
And the introduction of new road rules last year, including giving pedestrians priority at intersections as part of the wider changes to road user hierarchy, also means there could be scope for this type of car function to protect vulnerable people.
The changes to the code will allow drivers to receive three points and a fine of £100 if they fail to stop at intersections when pedestrians are crossing.
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