Lexus is developing safety technology that will allow vehicles to communicate and co-ordinate with its surroundings, including other vehicles and even the road — from the Detroit Free Press:
The cars at the [Toyota] Intelligent Transport System site receive information from sensors and transmitters installed on the streets to minimize the risk of accidents in situations such as missing a red traffic light, cars advancing from blind spots and pedestrians crossing the street. The system also tests cars that transmit such information to each other.
Toyota said the technology will be available “soon,” without giving a date, and hinted it will be offered for Lexus luxury models. Technology involving precise sensors remains expensive, sometimes costing as much as a cheaper Toyota car.
A trial rollout of this technology is scheduled to start in Japan as early as 2014, with a similar test planned for the USA at a later date — other new safety features are also being developed, including sonar sensors to prevent parking lot accidents and a system that recognizes when the gas pedal has been pushed by mistake instead of the brake pedal.
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