Vayyar Unveils Universal Sensor Solutions which can End Hot car Deaths

Hot car deaths of young children below the age of five is an issue that rears its ugly head every summer. Children unfortunately do not have the capability to tolerate heat to the same level that adults do. A child’s body can heat up 3-5 times faster than that of adults. When they are left behind in vehicles by negligent parents or caregivers, infants and young children suffer from dehydration and heatstroke which can have fatal results. We hear about a slew of hot car deaths in the UAE every summer despite repeated warnings from the police. The issue of hot car deaths has become so critical that by 2022, child presence detection will be a requirement through the HOT CARS Act legislation in the US and the Euro NCAP.

Vayyar, a company that specializes in 4D imaging technology has developed a dual-band sensor that is meant specifically to increase safety and passenger monitoring in the interior of a car. According to the company, the sensor is the first such device to meet country-specific frequency requirements, like a 79 GHz band in Japan, or a 60 Ghz band in Europe and the United States. This multi-band capability is the sensor’s most distinctive feature and will lend greater flexibility to manufacturers and tier 1 suppliers as they now have a choice between these frequencies.

With the aid of Vayyar’s universal sensor solutions, motorists will be able to detect if an infant has been left in a vehicle, even in instances where the child is in a car seat or has been covered by a blanket. The sensor sends a notification to a driver’s phone to alert them of the danger.

Commenting on the technology, Ian Podkamien, Director of Automotive Business Development for Vayyar, said in a statement that currently car manufacturers need absolute flexibility on frequency ranges for an in-cabin safety solution as they make their products for a global market. Their products are sold in many different countries. He went on to express his hope, that with this advancement, it would now be possible to prevent dangerous and life-threatening situations from happening.

The sensors’ point cloud capabilities are able to display the dimension, shape, location and movement of people and objects, and facilitate identification of every aspect in the environment around the car, irrespective of conditions like darkness. Other in-cabin safety solutions that Vayyar makes include seat belt reminders (SBR), optimized airbag deployment, gesture control, driver drowsiness alerts and Child Occupancy and Detection (COPD) alarms.

Vayyar’s RF sensor on a chip has 48 transceivers at 60 GHz and 79 GHz wide-bands, allowing over thousands of virtual channels. The chip also comes with an internal DSP for real-time signal processing, thus eliminating the need for an external ECU. This dual-band solution can be easily integrated into the existing automotive framework. It offers multi-function capabilities to reduce the overall cost and number of sensors needed for a vehicle.