Continental Showcases Right-Turn Assistance Systems at IAA 2018

Continental will use camera technology to expand its radar-based assistance systems, as well as artificial intelligence to assess proximity of pedestrians and cyclists to a vehicle.

Continental Press Picture Right Turn Assist
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The technology company Continental will show visitors the future of the right-hand turn assistant for trucks at the 67th IAA Commercial Vehicles exhibition, which takes place from September 20-27 in Hanover, Germany. The driver assistant experts are working intensively on future generations of the system – and Continental already offers radar-based systems for series development in original equipment. Work is also being done on appropriate retrofitting solutions. In the next few years, these assistance systems will be even more effective by the additional use of cameras, and subsequently through artificial intelligence.  

Especially in city traffic it can happen that trucks turning right at corners hit cyclists or pedestrians. For that reason demands are growing for the compulsory installation of right-turn assistants in trucks. However, EU-wide legislation is not expected for at least a few years. This is why countries like Germany rely on the voluntary commitment of the automotive and transport industries to install right-turn assistants ex works or to retrofit trucks – and these systems are already very popular because they help to prevent a great number of accidents. Continental’s intensive work on the further development of the right-turn assistant not only increases road safety but is also aimed at preventing false alarms for drivers in the future.

Three generations of safety – from radar to camera to artificial intelligence

Modern assistance systems, such as those which Continental already offers for original equipment, can warn commercial vehicle drivers when a pedestrian or cyclist is in a blind spot. A radar-based system like this determines the position of road users and calculates the time until a possible collision will occur. The second generation of the right-turn assistant will be even more efficient. It will distinguish dangerous and non-hazardous situations with greater accuracy, and to achieve this, the radar-based system will be expanded to include cameras. In just a few years, the right-turn assistant will be able to interpret even complex and unpredictable traffic situations accurately and warn the driver. Automatic emergency braking is also technically feasible. Gesture recognition is one of the systems used for this. It uses machine learning, artificial neural networks and imaging techniques to detect an approaching cyclist much earlier than was previously possible. Artificial intelligence also tells the right-turn assistant in which direction a pedestrian or cyclist is likely to move.

“Make the digital leap!” Continental presents innovations for the leap into the digital age

The Continental Innovation Truck, a demonstration vehicle, already has a system with gesture recognition installed – and this system will be available to the series market in just a few years. Visitors to the IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hanover can see both generations of these systems in the Innovation Truck on the open-air grounds and at Continental booth B11/A06 in Hall 17.

In line with the Continental slogan, “Make the digital leap!”, the technology company will show how the transport industry is making the leap to digitalization – and at the same time creating an entirely new kind of efficiency potential. The focus will be on the individual challenges faced by urban transport, the fleet office and long-distance transport – Continental will showcase a broad variety of solutions addressing these challenges. The technology company’s motto for the 2016 IAA was “Tradition. Trust. Transformation” – and Continental, remaining true to these 3T’s, will be showing visitors that a leap into the digital world can create real opportunities… and lead to more success.

In view of the rapidly growing volume of urban traffic, it is becoming increasingly important to reduce emissions and accidents. Continental’s answers to this issue promote sustainable urban transport, helping to bring us closer to “Vision Zero” (zero road deaths). The right-turn assistant is just one of many examples here. On long-haul routes, legislative safety features – in response to the increasing number of serious truck accidents – and stricter emission guidelines are proving to be a challenge for manufacturers. And transport companies also have to keep their fuel costs under control and maximize their operating times. Efficiency is also the keyword in the fleet office. Faced by tough competition and relatively small margins, any trucking company that wants to hold its own needs a digital control center that also uses real-time data. With its digital expertise and its broad portfolio of tires, air springs, drive technology, driver assistance systems and fleet management solutions, Continental offers the technologies that will lead to success in the commercial vehicle world – and will meet the industry’s increasing demands.

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