.jpg)
.jpg)
Are we imagining things, or are automakers really stepping up to the plate when it comes to safety technology? It seems as if every other day, another company debuts an upgraded adaptive cruise control or a new pedestrian-detection system -- or an animal-detection system, for that matter.
The latest safety innovation comes from Ford. According to Detroit News, it's called "Surveillance Mode", and it was developed in partnership with Intermotive.
Surveillance Mode makes use sensors embedded in the rear bumper of a vehicle. When those sensors detect a someone approaching the vehicle too closely, the system automatically locks the car's doors and rolls up any open windows -- it can be disabled in areas with lots of pedestrians around. There's also a backup camera, which projects images onto a car's rearview mirror so that the driver can keep an eye on things behind her.
Surveillance Mode is current being tested on police cars in the US, where officers are frequently targeted by criminals and where -- due to budgetary constraints in many areas -- police officers now patrol alone rather than in their traditional pairs. Instead of four eyes surveying the landscape, they're reduced to two. Surveillance Mode helps make up some of the difference.
Surveillance Mode isn't terrifically expensive: as a stand-alone option, it's around US$250. Though it's currently limited to police vehicles, it's widely expected that the technology will roll out to everyday consumers soon. Is this the sort of thing you'd spring for on your own vehicle? Would it make you feel safe? Or would it just make you paranoid?
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.png)
.jpg)
.png)
.jpg)
.jpg)
