May 17, 2011 01:22 am EDT

BMW left turn assistant uses lasers to help you avoid running people over

BMW continues to fight the good fight: making sure you hit less people with its luxury vehicles. The German automaker is developing a vehicle warning system aimed at curbing collisions caused by drivers making left turns -- a leading cause of accidents and motorcycle fatalities. The system, which can be enabled for vehicles making left or U-turns while traveling under 10mph, detects movements using the vehicle's navigation system and a single camera. Once a left turn is recognized, three lasers are used to scan for hazards up to 328-feet away -- if one is detected, the car will automatically brake and throw up corresponding alerts for the driver. The company is set to show off the system as part of INTERSAFE 2, this week in Wolfsburg, Germany. In the meantime, the rest of us will have to rely on things like mirrors and looking over our shoulders.

BMW left turn assistant uses lasers to help you avoid running people over originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 21:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | BMW ||Comments

Original Link: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/16/bmw-left-turn-assistant-uses-lasers-to-help-you-avoid-running-pe/

View Full Article

Engadget

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics. Engadget was launched in March of 2004 in partnership with the Weblogs, Inc. Network (WI

More About this Source Visit Engadget