Future Fords will use tech to avoid collisions
SAN FRANCISCO — Ford Motor is working on a suite of new driver-assist safety features for its production cars that stop short of offering full autonomy.
Among the technologies being developed at the automaker's Research and Innovation Center in Aachen, Germany, include camera- and laser-enabled systems that can take over the steering wheel in an emergency to avoid high-speed collisions, as well as mapping-triggered dash alerts that warn drivers they're traveling down a one-way road.
These and other new safety products, which Ford announced Thursday, are expected to join the company's existing driver-assist features within two years. A range of Ford vehicles currently come equipped with adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings and active park assist.
“Ford’s investment in research and development is paying off by accelerating innovation to expand our portfolio of driver-assist technologies that could deliver real-world benefits to drivers, passengers and pedestrians alike," Scott Lindstrom, manager of driver-assist and active safety at Ford, said in a statement.
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Among the other technologies being worked are enhanced active park assist, which takes control of steering, gear selection, and forward and reverse movement to facilitate parking at the push of a button. With the driver at the wheel, it can enable a vehicle to automatically enter and exit a parallel parking space, as well as reverse into a perpendicular space.
Cross-traffic alert with braking uses radar sensors to monitor the area behind a vehicle. If the driver is backing out and does not react to the initial in-car warning, the system automatically apply the brakes.
Spot lighting technology uses an infrared camera to detect pedestrians, cyclists and animals and highlights these potential hazards for drivers; a camera-based advanced front lighting system widens the headlight beam at intersections and roundabouts after interpreting traffic signs; and Traffic Jam Assist helps the driver keep the vehicle centered in a lane, plus it brakes and accelerates to keep pace with the vehicle in front.
A range of automakers offer versions of similar technologies. Tesla's Autopilot functions in a manner similar to Traffic Jam Assist, while Audi's Pre Sense system monitors for obstructions and provides drivers with a range of alerts before stopping the vehicle on its own.
Ford engineers in Aachen as well as at R&D facilities in Palo Alto, Calif., and Dearborn, Mich., are also working on fully autonomous vehicles that will have neither a steering wheel nor pedals.
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Ford CTO Raj Nair has on many occasions said that vehicles should either offer a great degree of safety while retaining full driver engagement or be completely autonomous, because handing control from a computer back to the driver in an emergency is too risky at high speeds.
Ford hopes to complete a production-ready autonomous car by 2021, the same date given by Volvo, Google and others working on self-driving tech.
Follow USA TODAY tech reporter Marco della Cava @marcodellacava