Driver assistance systems are already warning us of road hazards in the form of visual and acoustic signals. But what if such warnings simulated the real sounds of approaching road users and at the same time gave drivers an acoustic indication of the exact direction from which these road users are approaching? Ford engineers are currently researching a smart approach to using the in-car audio system to audibly convey the precise position of other road users, such as pedestrians or cyclists. They are also testing the use of realistic sounds - such as bicycle bells and footsteps - instead of a universal warning tone. Initial tests show that drivers who received corresponding warnings via their on-board audio system were better able to identify and locate potential dangers.
How it could work...
Ford vehicles have driver assistance technologies on board which, thanks to their sensors, recognize when pedestrians, cyclists or other vehicles are approaching your vehicle unsafely. These systems then warn the driver visually and acoustically and, if necessary, also initiate emergency braking. The so-called "Directional Audio Alert", which is currently in the experimental stage, goes one step further with these warnings: software developed by Ford uses the information from the sensors to automatically select the appropriate noise that is most similar to the potential source of danger - for example a bell for a cyclist or steps for a pedestrian. In addition, this noise is emitted via the "right" loudspeaker - if the cyclist approaches from the right, the sound (e.g. a bicycle bell) is reproduced via the loudspeakers on the right-hand side of the vehicle.
Tests in a simulated environment showed that drivers warned by Directional Audio Alert correctly identified the nature and source of the hazard 74 percent of the time. Even the transmission of a neutral, conventional sound from the "right" loudspeakers enabled the driver to correctly locate the position of the object in 70 percent of the cases. The engineers also recreated a real-world scenario of a car reversing out of a parking space on the test track – including the acoustic simulation of an approaching pedestrian. The test participants reacted in a clearly measurable way to the artificially generated footsteps of the pedestrian.
“Today, sounds warn drivers of potentially dangerous situations so they can be cautious and vigilant. Tomorrow's technology could alert us to both the exact nature of the hazard and exactly where it's coming from," said Oliver Kirstein, SYNC Software Engineer, Enterprise Connectivity, Ford of Europe. Ford engineers believe that in the future, the use of 3D spatial sounds, already used in movie theaters and computer games, could enable even more accurate identification of potential hazards and their location.
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