Following the footsteps of Volvo, Ford Motor Company is now rolling out a new Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection Technology to reduce the number of frontal collisions which involves other vehicles and pedestrians.
Using radar and camera technology to scan roads ahead, the Ford Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection Technology will show an alert to the driver if a collision risk appears. If the driver is not quick enough, the car will then apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Pre-Collision Assist can potentially prevent drivers from rear-ending other drivers at all speeds while Pedestrian Detection can assist the driver to avoid pedestrians at lower speeds.
Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development said, “This technology adds to the already impressive list of driver-assist technologies Ford customers benefit from today.”
Ford also has other driver-assist technologies which includes lane-keeping system with lane-keeping aid, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and active park assist. BLIS was developed by Volvo, but Ford (Volvo’s previous parent company) has included it in its own range of cars, including Lincoln and Mercury branded vehicles.
The Ford Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection Technology will debut in the 2015 European Ford Mondeo, and other models may follow suit. Lincoln models will also be getting the same technology from next year onwards.
While the systems may be extremely helpful to drivers in unexpected conditions, it cannot replace the driver and has its own limitations. Situations such as bad weather, night time, low light situations and vehicle moving in the opposite direction will require the driver to focus even more.
The videos below demonstrates how the Ford Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection Technology works, so have a look;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4cMXURHprc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIb0peetu8w
