Insects Inspire Crash Avoidance System Technologies
According to a report published on abplive.com, scientists are looking to nature to solve the problem of traffic accidents. Scientists have invented an "ultra-low power collision detector" that is based on how locusts avoid collisions at night.
Locusts have a natural crash avoidance system that helps them prevent accidents by helping the insects detect obstacles before a collision during flight. The scientists are using locusts for inspiration to develop a simple detection system that can help drivers and automated driving vehicles avoid crashes. Their results have been published in the Journal ACS Nano.
There are several crash detection systems used in motor vehicles today, but these systems are usually too heavy, too complex, and do not function well at night. Most fatal car accidents occur at night since drivers are not able to see obstacles until it is too late.
The existing Collision Avoidance Systems (CASs) help a motor vehicle brake automatically when a person, another vehicle, or any other object gets too close to the vehicle. Other Collision Avoidance Systems analyze an image of the vehicle's surroundings to determine if an object is in the path of the vehicle. However, those images often lack the clarity necessary when the vehicle is driving in low light or in heavy rain. There are some vehicles that have incorporated radar sensors to aid in crash avoidance. However, these systems demand a lot of energy, and they add unnecessary weight to the motor vehicle.
Locusts, on the other hand, do not have complex circuitry, yet they are able to easily avoid collisions. This is because their neural circuits are highly efficient at detecting obstacles in low light. That is why science has turned to nature for the solution to creating a low-energy, low-weight collision detector. It is believed that the locusts' neural circuits could be adapted to vehicles. So far, the team has developed its first crash avoidance algorithm. The algorithm does not process an entire image but would only process the area inside of a car's headlights.
The detector is able to sense a potential two-car accident about two to three seconds before the collision. This gives the drivers enough time to avoid a collision, according to an American Chemical Society press release. American Chemical Society quoted the scientists by saying this novel idea may help improve existing CASs.
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Sources:
https://news.abplive.com/science/a-detector-to-prevent-car-accidents-inspired-by-insects-study-1577351