GM developing technology that generates wireless “safety net”

Here’s a new innovation from General Motors: a new technology that could warn motorists in advance to possibly driving scenarios. The technology mainly creates a wireless “safety net” using small portable devices, which are intended to collect information from infrastructure and other vehicles to alert drivers on hard-braking motorists, stalled or slow vehicles, sharp curves, slippery roads and upcoming intersection and stop signs.

According to a research conducted by the National Highway Safety Administration, the technology, called vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication systems, could help prevent about 81 percent of all car crashes in the United States.

Here's what Don Grimm, senior researcher for Perception and Vehicle Control Systems group at GM, can say about this innovation:

“These safety systems could provide a significant leap in automotive safety, but their effectiveness goes up dramatically as more people use them. By putting the technology into portable devices, we could make this potentially life-saving technology widely available and more affordable.”

The technology is being tested on a GPS unit-sized transponder and a smartphone app that can be connected to the display unit of the vehicle. Bicyclists and pedestrians alike could also use the smartphones for downloading a special app to inform motorists about their locations.

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