Skoda is developing new ‘car-to-pedestrian’ communication system, designed to help people know when it’s safe to cross the road, on its electric Enyaq SUV.
The system is under development as part of a wider urban mobility project, and follows changes to the Highway Code in 2022 that mean car drivers could receive three points on their licence and a fine of £100 for failing to stop for pedestrians.
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The system replaces the ‘Crystal Face’ front grille of the Skoda Enyaq EV with a new programmable LED Smart Grille, which can be used to show animations to pass information to pedestrians. When a car fitted with the display approaches a pedestrian crossing, it can signal to any pedestrians that it has spotted them. Then, when the car stops, it can display green arrows showing it’s safe to cross.
The system can also then give a different message to warn pedestrians when it starts moving, and in “extreme” situations when the machine is approaching a crossing and unable to stop it can also show a clear sign warning pedestrians not to cross.
The symbols and animations that will be shown are under development, and currently include green arrows, a green person, a warning triangle and a red triangle with a cross. These were selected because they are widely recognisable.
According to Department for Transport data, more than 16,000 pedestrians were injured on the UK’s roads in 2021. The Highway Code now gives pedestrians priority at zebra crossings, while car drivers should also give way to pedestrians who are crossing a road they are driving into or out of.
Skoda’s warning system is being trialled as part of an Urban Mobility Initiative organised by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). It also includes a new robotic rover called IPA2X that has been developed by Skoda, the Czech Technical University in Prague and the Technical University of Munich.
The two-metre tall rover might look like K-9 with a big stick poking out from it, but it's really an automatic, mobile traffic light. It can move itself into the middle of a pedestrian crossing, and then display green lights when it is safe for pedestrians to cross – while showing a stop sign to approaching motorists. On cars equipped with the right technology, it could also send a warning direct to the infotainment screen on the car’s dashboard.
There is no word yet on when or where the systems will be tested, or Skoda's wider plans for them.
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