Volkswagen, Siemens Partner for V2X Safety Tech
Volkswagen and Siemens are claiming to have made improvements to existing vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, with the aim of making intersections safer.
The companies are collaborating with the German city of Wolfsburg to test how well VW cars equipped with WLANp-standard V2X tech communicate with traffic lights on city streets. Two crossroads in the city are being fitted with sensors, with the hope that this will allow their accompanying traffic lights to communicate data about the presence of pedestrians and cyclists to the VW cars participating in the tests.
The plan is also for the lights to provide the tech with forward guidance data about the status of other traffic lights in the vicinity over the upcoming moments, so the driver will know whether it’s appropriate for them to brake or accelerate. The companies think this will improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety, and that ADAS technology will soon be able to process this data autonomously.
WLANp is apparently having to be “supplemented with additional messages” in order for the vehicles to receive the data from the traffic lights efficiently. The companies claim this allows for the implementation of “cooperative security functions” which communicate data to the vehicle’s driver and/or sensors about pedestrians which have been recognized “at a very late stage”.
Siemens Germany head of mobility Manfred Fuhg said: “Intelligent control methods can provide vehicles with much more precise information on red and green phases than was previously possible”. Volkswagen head of vehicle safety Gunnar Koether added he thought WLANp sensors could provide “highly accurate data for a critical area”.
