Subscribe to our RSS feed and stay up to date with the latest automotive news
For the first time, several vehicle manufacturers jointly presented their latest developments in “Car-2-Car” communication using real vehicles. Volkswagen demonstrated tomorrow’s technology in a Passat Variant TDI and a Golf GTI.
Research in “Car-2-Car” communication is being conducted to define a universal standard for communication between vehicles, as sharing information is expected to yield great improvements in road safety.
Continue to read: “Car-2-Car” communication was put to the first road test
Toyota has developed the world’s first* SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) rear window curtain shield airbag to protect rear passengers’ heads in the event of a rear-end collision.
The innovative airbag deploys from the roof lining above the rear window in the form of a curtain-like barrier. Together with the headrests, the airbag minimises impact to the head from a colliding vehicle or parts of the hit vehicle, thus helping to reduce the severity of injuries.
Continue to read: Toyota develops world’s first rear window curtain shield airbag
The amount of traffic on our roads is increasing constantly, as is the amount of information that needs to be processed – meaning that the task of driving is becoming ever more demanding. Audi has developed a technology which promises more relaxed, safer motoring: the Audi braking guard brake assist system is designed to reduce the risk of rear-end collisions.
It is one of a whole generation of intelligent assistance systems which monitor the area surrounding the car in order to offer additional protection. Audi braking guard is available for the A4, A4 Avant, A6, A8 and Audi Q7 model lines, as well as for the new Q5.
Continue to read: Safety based on radar technology – Audi braking guard
The Smart car is getting a lot of attention for its small size and style, and now it’s earning impressive crash test ratings. In recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests, the 2008 Smart Fortwo, the smallest car for sale in the US market, earned the top rating of good for front and side crash protection. Its seat/head restraints earned the second highest rating of acceptable for protection against whiplash in rear impacts.
Smart Fortwo is classified a microcar, meaning it’s smaller even than minicars. Weighing about 1,800 pounds, the Smart is more than 3 feet shorter and almost 700 pounds lighter than a Mini Cooper. It weighs about a third as much as one of the heaviest vehicles the Institute has tested, the BMW X5, a midsize SUV.
Continue to read: Smart ForTwo gets impressive results in IIHS crash test
Antilock braking systems (ABS) have been around for almost a century - first appearing in the 1920s for the aviation industry after being pioneered by French automobile and aircraft company Voisin - but the technology has only been used in cars for the last 30 years.
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class was the first passenger car to be installed with ABS back in 1978 and since then it has come to be fitted in about three quarters of all vehicles produced worldwide.
Continue to read: ABS - saving lives for 30 years
Hanyoung Lee is the designer of the Virtual Wall which is a plasma laser barrier showing pedestrians crossing the street.
The lasers are not powerful enough to harm cars or people but the effect is enough to make drivers stop and let the pedestrians cross.
Continue to read: The future of traffic lights
*RUB security experts discover major vulnerability
*Access from a distance of 300 feet without traces
Researchers from Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, presented a complete break of remote keyless entry systems based on the KeeLoq RFID technology. The shown vulnerability applies to all known car and building access control systems that rely on the KeeLoq cipher. “The security hole allows illegitimate parties to access buildings and cars after remote eavesdropping from a distance of up to 100 meters” says Prof. Christof Paar.
Continue to read: Remote keyless entry system for cars and buildings is hacked
