This is Honda’s vision for the intersection of the future

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October 11, 2018

If you’ve been following the motoring beat over the past few years,  you may have come across the terms “connected cars” and “vehicle to infrastructure”. As their names suggest, these simply mean that vehicles can talk to each other and to their surrounding infrastructure to help avoid or even eliminate accidents.

Most major auto manufacturers have come up with their own versions of the system, each one having a different name and a few differentiating features. Yet all have the same goal of an accident-free road network. The latest one comes from Honda, via its Smart Intersection technology.

This one is a vehicle to infrastructure (V2X) prototype that utilizes an actual intersection to demonstrate its potetnail. While this may sound like something for a large city like Los Angeles or Tokyo, it is actually located in small twon Marysville, Ohio. For those who are unaware, this is where Honda puts together its passenger cars for the US market. And it is where it is developing mobility technology for the future.

In a nutshell, the system is made up of a series of cameras placed on top of each stoplight at the intersection of 5th and Main streets. Within these cameras are sensors that communicate with a host of head-up display modules placed in a fleet of 20 Honda Pilots belonging to Honda employees. What this does is detect oncoming hazards such as emergency vehicles, red-light-beating vehicles, and pedestrians. This info is then sent back to the Honda vehicles to warn the driver via the head-up display and audible warnings.

Apart from helping avoid or eliminate intersection mishaps, the Smart Intersection can likewise “see” beyond buldings, up to a distance of 100m. This means it can dectect obstacles and dangers that aren\t et visible to the driver.

For Now, however, this is merely a very crude prototype. Yet Honda is hard at work perfecting it, hoping to put in place such tech as autonomous emergency braking that will take action should the driver fail to do so. And with loads of technology being developed, the potentials are rather limitless.  Moreover, Honda hopes to spread its wings beyond Marysville and put ths system in place in major cities around the world.

Yes, smart mobility is really upon us.  We just wish the “smart” part would apply to numerous road users out there. Just saying.

About the Author

Mr. Gerard Jude Castillo
Gerard has been a self-confessed car nut ever since he was a little boy. As a grown-up, he indulges in his passion by collecting toy cars (which he started since childhood) and reading up on the latest cars out there.  As Associate Editor, he will ensure that you get your fill of the latest cars in the market, as well as a load of automotive features.