Samsung ‘Safety Truck’ Uses Rear Displays to Prevent Collisions
Samsung ‘Safety Truck’ Uses Rear Displays to Prevent Collisions
Getting stuck behind a slow-moving truck on a one-lane road is never fun. You can’t see what’s ahead, you’re choking on fumes, and moving at a snail’s pace. You could pass the truck, but is there enough room?
Samsung’s “Safety Truck” might be the solution. It uses a wireless camera on the truck’s front grille, which connects to four displays on the rear of the truck. Vehicles behind the truck can see if another car is approaching (even in the dark), and pass the truck when the coast is clear.
Samsung tested its Safety Truck in Argentina, where “statistics on traffic accidents are among the highest in the world, with most of these accidents occurring on two-lane roads and particularly in situations of overtaking,” Samsung said.
Currently, there are no plans to deploy the technology on Samsung trucks or anywhere else. “So far Samsung has been able to confirm that the technology works and that this idea can definitely save the lives of many people,” Samsung said.
“The next step is to perform the corresponding tests in order to comply with the existing national protocols and obtain the necessary permits and approvals,” it said. “For this, Samsung is working together with safe driving NGOs and the government.”
There is, of course, always the possibility that people would get distracted and/or confused by the truck’s rear panels. Still, the technology, Samsung said, “seeks to enrich the lives of people through innovation. But more than that, this time the goal is more ambitious: to save lives.”
If Samsung partners with Daimler, perhaps we could have a self-driving Safety Truck on the road one day. Last month, Daimler Trucks earned a road license for its autonomous heavy-duty truck. The Freightliner Inspiration Truck took its first journey in May, carrying Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and Daimler AG board member Wolfgang Bernhard along U.S. Highway 15 in Las Vegas.
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