Nissan said Sept. 15 it will mobilize 10,000 drivers in a 30-month experiment to develop an "intelligent transportation system" that sends wireless messages to passing cars. "Car approaching from left" and "School ahead. Watch your speed," are voice messages that drivers will receive through the system which uses information obtained from nearby vehicles and roadside optical beacons.
The experiment will test several functions including the "vehicle alert" which tells drivers that other vehicles are moving too fast at blind intersections. "Speed alert" warns drivers when they are speeding in a school zone. An image of a school zone sign appears on the driver's navigation screen along with a voice warning. The experiment will involve Nissan cars equipped with the company's own car navigation system.
The information is received by an onboard antenna on the vehicle to alert drivers to potential danger from approaching vehicles or inform them of traffic congestion ahead, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. said in a statement.
The test will start on October 1 on public roads in Kanagawa, a prefecture just south of Tokyo. Nissan hopes to commercialize the system by 2010.
The system is seen feasible in Japan where more than 50% of cars are equipped with such navigational gadgets linked to the via-satellite Global Positioning System, compared with fewer than 10% in the U.S. and European countries.
The system will be developed in cooperation with NTT DoCoMo, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., the National Police Agency and other concerns, the statement said.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2006
