GM FYI Blog

By Larry Burns
Vice President, Research & Development and Planning

If cars could talk, what would they say? Sure, we’ve seen the Hollywood fantasies like Cars or Transformers, where cars take on a human persona and interact with the world in personal ways. But in the real world, what if cars had a “sixth sense” so they would know what’s going on around them and could communicate it to their drivers in a realistic way? What are the three most important things they could tell us?

First, the car could communicate its operating condition, so we know that things are running right. Second, it would be good to know if the car needs maintenance — when and what kind. Third, and perhaps most importantly, it would be tremendous if a car could tell us if we were in danger, and could help us to avoid a collision.

We’ve already solved the first two challenges with OnStar Diagnostics, which monitors the condition and maintenance needs of your vehicle in real-time. And now we’re working on giving drivers a sixth sense — teaching your vehicle how to know when you’re in danger so it can let you know before an accident happens. It’s like having an automated driving instructor with a second pair of brakes in the car, always watching out for the other guy.

Sound far-fetched? Not really.

This new technology is called vehicle-to-vehicle communication. By equipping vehicles with sensors that can detect other vehicles up to a 1/4 mile away, and using OnStar’s GPS capability, a V2V-enabled car can identify other vehicles, anticipate their direction and locations based on observations like current speed and heading, and then can notify the driver of danger with audible tones, lights and seat vibrations — all within milliseconds. In a case of a forward collision, if the driver doesn’t respond, the vehicle will step right in and bring the vehicle to a safe stop.

The system works equally well sensing parked or moving vehicles. From avoiding a car stopped on a narrow shoulder to one traveling alongside in a blind spot, the ability to sense danger and alert the driver will save lives. It’s like having a 9-1-1 phone for emergencies — it’s not expensive. Mass implementation of V2V is still a few years away, but the technology exists today and we’re looking at new and exciting possibilities. For more information, check out our web site, or see what the media has to say. Let us know your thoughts.