Toyota's 'Pre-collision Steering Control' Aims to Minimize Accidents

There has been a lot of progress in the field of automobiles and mechanics; however, not a lot of emphasis has been placed on the shortfalls or perils of designing safety mechanisms for systems that complement human life. One such example that has been neglected so far is road safety for pedestrians.

Toyota's new accident prevention system

Toyota has come up with a new pre-collision steering wheel system that ‘takes the car away’ from a possible crash if stopping in time isn’t possible. So, how does this system work? The car consists of cameras and millimetre-wave radar facing forward and tuned to relatively short distances. The cameras act like sensors and are coupled with the radar that helps to continuously monitor a certain short distance from the car. In case of an incoming object, the microprocessors on-board help calculate how much braking and/or steering change is required to avoid impact with a pedestrian. Toyota plans to introduce this technology in the near future, however, a specific launch date has not been provided.

Accident prevention systems are in its infant stages, and currently deal only with larger objects. Pedestrian-vehicle collision systems are so far, non-existent. Hence, it’s encouraging to see Toyota introduce a new feature in its vehicles which actually helps avert accidents instead of mitigating its after effects. A preview of Toyota’s new feature can be viewed below.