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Nissan Develops Gas Pedal Safety Feature

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aquajet

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Feb 12, 2005
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By YURI KAGEYAMA, AP Business Writer

Tue Mar 14, 11:04 PM ET

YOKOSUKA, Japan - A new safety feature being developed by Nissan Motor Co. causes a car's gas pedal to lift by itself to alert the driver of a possible collision.

That new technology, shown to reporters this week, combines radar sensors and a computer system to judge a car's speed and the distance to the vehicle in front.

When the car senses a possible head-on crash, the gas pedal automatically rises against the driver's foot as a signal to step on the brake.

If sensors detect a possible collision ahead, the brake automatically kicks in when the driver lifts his or her foot off the gas.

A buzz also goes off in what Nissan engineers tentatively dubbed the "magic bumper."

Skeptics may see the technology as obtrusive, perhaps even risky, given that some drivers may prefer to rely on their own reflexes.

But Nissan says the magic bumper is helpful because research has shown that more than half of traffic accidents are caused by inattention, drowsiness and carelessness, rather than error in judgment and or illegalities such as speeding and drunken driving.

It's a safety feature that comes in particularly handy on congested roads, the Japanese auto maker said.

Senior manager Yousuke Akatsu hopes to offer the feature in about two or three years in Japan, and also aims to offer it in the United States and Europe, although no plans have been set.

The technology is part of the Tokyo-based company's larger effort to create the accident-proof car. So far, Nissan offers cruise control, warnings for cars veering off lanes and a system that helps drivers brake harder in emergencies.

Also shown in a demonstration at a facility near Tokyo was a car-navigation monitor that uses digital cameras lodged in the front and back of the car, as well as in the sideview mirrors, to show a computer-graphic bird's eye view of the car.

The AVM, or "around view monitor," shows what's surrounding the car from all around, putting together photo images from the cameras to help drivers steer into tight parking spots — very useful in a crowded country like Japan.

Commercial plans for the feature are still undecided, according to Nissan.

Nissan officials demonstrated a paint job offered in Japan that fixes itself of slight scratches caused by car-washing, off-road driving or fingernails. To speed up the repair of the elastic resin, which works like a rubbery surface, hot water was poured on a surface after it was scraped with a bristled metal brush.

All these features are part of the ongoing competition among major automakers around the world to attract buyers, and the fancy ones still tend to come in expensive models.

From Toyota Motor Corp. is Intelligent Parking Assist system, in which the car parks by itself — even if the driver has no hands on the steering wheel — calculating from its built-in computer, steering sensor and a tiny camera in the rear the proper route into a parking spot.

U.S. automaker General Motors Corp. has said it plans to make electronic stability control standard on all of its light-duty trucks by 2010. Ford Motor Co. has shown an experimental inflatable seat belt that deploys inside the shoulder belt in a crash, adding protection to the chest.
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Can't say I'm too thrilled to have a computer take control of the vehicle away from me, even if it is a "safety" feature.
 
And in a head-on crash, doesn't the faster vehicle (excluding all other factors) usually sustain less damage? I'd want it to speed up the car from me then. ;)
 
I think it's a neat idea. I don't know about practical application. But in general, in the past, when we've taken control away, it's proven to be a good thing. People said the same thing about ABS. The general consensus is now that ABS plus a driver concentrating on steering the car during braking, is a better and safer combination. That doesn't necessarily mean this technology should go in every car. But kudos to the engineers working on it. :)
 
I don't know if some people will be comfortable with having their car take over control from them like that (even though cars do it alrerady in different ways without some drivers even recognizing this fact. :p ;))
 
~Shard~ said:
I don't know if some people will be comfortable with having their car take over control from them like that (even though cars do it alrerady in different ways without some drivers even recognizing this fact. :p ;))
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Yep... first thing I do is find out where the T/C button is to disable it. :D
 
I do not see it taking that much away from the driver. All it seems to do is slow down the car and probably save a few lives. Of course it should be easily disabled but I still do not see this as an invasion of any sort.
 
mkrishnan said:
I think it's a neat idea. I don't know about practical application. But in general, in the past, when we've taken control away, it's proven to be a good thing. People said the same thing about ABS. The general consensus is now that ABS plus a driver concentrating on steering the car during braking, is a better and safer combination. That doesn't necessarily mean this technology should go in every car. But kudos to the engineers working on it. :)
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There's a practical difference between these two technologies: ABS improves the braking performance of a vehicle, this "auto brake" does not improve the performance of any aspect of a vehicle. It seems to me that any rapid change in a vehicle's motion outside the authority of the driver is more dangerous than safe.

But Nissan says the magic bumper is helpful because research has shown that more than half of traffic accidents are caused by inattention, drowsiness and carelessness, rather than error in judgment and or illegalities such as speeding and drunken driving.
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So Nissan wants to introduce technology to compensate for inattention, drowsiness and carelessness? Yikes. How about drivers quit talking on their cell phones, listening to loud music and watching DVDs while driving and make a conscious decision to avoid driving while impaired or fatigued instead?
 
aquajet said:
So Nissan wants to introduce technology to compensate for inattention, drowsiness and carelessness? Yikes. How about drivers quit talking on their cell phones, listening to loud music and watching DVDs while driving and make a conscious decision to avoid driving while impaired or fatigued instead?
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Well considering we know this will not happen companies are trying to find ways to prevent this type of thing. This wouldn't have to be made if this were true but sadly it is not.
 
cycocelica said:
Well considering we know this will not happen companies are trying to find ways to prevent this type of thing. This wouldn't have to be made if this were true but sadly it is not.
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Indeed. That's why I hate driving so much these days, especially in Dallas. :(
 
Great - just what we need, one more thing to discourage people from actually learning how to drive a vehicle. The right answer is to put down the cell phone/turn down the radio/stop drinking coffee and pay attention to your environment! One more incremental step in the dumbing down of America....
 
This is a good thing (if it's proven to be effective before deployment), it's silly to blame Nissan for it. I got rear-ended last year when I was stopped in traffic by a lady who was just not paying attention (I saw her coming in my rear-view mirror and saw she was distracted and unaware that the traffic was stopped). She was unlicensed, unregistered, and uninsured, so I was out of luck. That doesn't excuse her for her poor driving, but this invention might have prevented it.
 
aquajet said:
...
So Nissan wants to introduce technology to compensate for inattention, drowsiness and carelessness? Yikes. How about drivers quit talking on their cell phones, listening to loud music and watching DVDs while driving and make a conscious decision to avoid driving while impaired or fatigued instead?
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It might be better to put the accelerator in the steering wheel rim. Then, while people are reading and talking on the phone, etc., the car stops.
 
bousozoku said:
It might be better to put the accelerator in the steering wheel rim. Then, while people are reading and talking on the phone, etc., the car stops.
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Great idea. I really want to be rear-ending everyone on City Ave in the morning because their cars auto-stop.
 
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