Honda Smart Intersection Tech Lets You See Through Buildings

All drivers have been at an intersection at some point where you were unable to see around a building or obstacle to tell if another vehicle was coming the opposite direction. To help drivers cope with those sorts of dangerous intersections, Honda is showing off its Smart Intersection tech for vehicle-to-everything communication (V2X). The tech is designed to reduce collisions at intersections.

The tech has been deployed in the real world in a partnership with the City of Marysville as part of the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor project. Honda says that collisions at intersections account for about 40% of all collisions and nearly 20% of the 35,000 traffic-related deaths that happen in the US each year.

The Smart Intersection tech uses Honda proprietary object recognition software in conjunction with cameras mounted around the intersection and V2X communications. The technology lets the cars see through and around buildings and walls in "virtually all-weather conditions" to help drivers see and identify hidden hazards.

Smart Intersections have four cameras mounted above traffic lights at each intersection corner. The cameras get a birds-eye-view of the surrounding vehicle and pedestrian traffic at the intersection up to 300-feet out. Vehicle types as well as pedestrians can be classified and then information on what is coming is sent out to cars via a dedicated short-range communicating signal.

Each of the vehicles at the intersection can decode that information and then provide drivers with visible and audible feedback to help avoid accidents. Honda has committed to using 200 vehicles for evaluation in the 33 different ongoing projects. Honda offers no information on when or if the technology will be commercialized for the masses.

SOURCE: Honda