In October 2017, Ford Motor Company launched its all-new “Pedestrian Detection”, designed for pre-collision assistance to the driver. This addition to the existing system utilizes RADAR and cameras to scan the roadway to prevent road accidents by generating alert/ warning to the driver. In case the system finds ignorance towards the warning, it takes full control of breaking system to avoid the collision.

Ford motor has thoroughly tested pedestrian detection technology in the real-world scenario at night by keeping crash test dummies in front of the car. Ford pedestrian detection technology has undergone real-world testing of over 150,000 miles in North America, Europe and China. China finalized 2018 NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) protocol with more stringent pedestrian protection and automatic emergency braking requirements compared to the U.S. and Europe.

The company further announced that pedestrian detection technology will be rolled out in 2018 Ford F-150 along with 2018 Mustang, in the U.S. Scott Lindstrom, Ford’s driver assist technologies manager, ensures consistent improvement in driver-assist technology in coming years. The current pedestrian detection system consists of improved camera with more processing power, which provides increased image quality over the conventional system. According to Lindstrom, Ford is the first company to offer this pedestrian detection braking technology in mainstream models.

Analyst View:

This value added to the company’s existing range will help to reduce the mindset of night driving as a stressful experience. The features of this technology can be related to the feedback received by the people on their night driving experiences. The significant percentage of people are skeptical about night driving due to limited visibility and the threat of collision with pedestrians (stepping in the road without warning). As this technology processes information from RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) coupled with the windshield-mounted camera, it gives more accurate differences among objects. Considering the growing demand for night vision systems as well as goggles in the U.S. and Europe, pedestrian detection technology is expected to be warmly welcomed in the regions.