Honda Showcases New “Smart Intersection” Technology to See through and around Buildings

Honda recently demonstrated its new “Smart Intersection” technology for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. Using this technology, vehicles can see through and around buildings so that there are fewer collisions at roadway intersections. This is one of the first such instances when V2X technology has been used in a real-world setting.

Honda developed this technology in partnership with the City of Marysville as part of the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor project. This project is a pilot project that tries to tackle the limitations of on-board vehicle sensors when it comes to minimizing traffic collisions at roadway intersections. In view of the fact that intersection collisions account for almost 40 percent of all collisions and 20 percent of the nearly 35,000 traffic fatalities in the United States annually, this development can transform road safety.

The “Smart Intersection” technology, leverages Honda’s proprietary object recognition software in tandem with cameras mounted at intersections and V2X communications. This makes it possible for cars to virtually see through and around buildings and walls irrespective of weather conditions so that they can help identify and alert drivers about hazards they would not see otherwise.
Commenting on the new technology, Ted Klaus, vice president of strategic research at Honda R&D Americas, Inc said that Honda believed that V2X technology will be a key component of a smarter and safer transportation ecosystem and can help achieve Honda’s dream for a zero-collision society. Klaus added that by partnering with the City of Marysville and the State of Ohio, Honda believed that the research would give the company a better understanding of how V2X technologies can be further advanced and used most effectively for the benefit of all road users.

How Does a “Smart Intersection” Work?

The technology involves the installation of four cameras. They are mounted above the traffic lights at each corner of the intersection in order to get a bird’s-eye-view video of surrounding vehicles and pedestrian traffic up to a 300-foot range. Honda’s proprietary image processing software is then used to create a 360-degree image of the intersection. This image is used to classify vehicles and other moving objects, like pedestrians, motorcycles and emergency vehicles, and conveys the pertinent information to surrounding vehicles through a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) signal.

Each connected vehicle has an on-board computer which can decode the information and, when needed can provide both visible and audible alerts to the driver. This can intelligently support them to take corrective action so that they can avoid a potential collision.

Honda has committed to using 200 connected vehicles for evaluation in the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor and Smart Columbus projects.
Honda’s Vision for a Zero Collision Society

As part of its pursuit of a zero-collision society, Honda has developed several advanced technologies like Honda Sensing and AcuraWatch suites of advanced driver-assistive safety technologies. They mark significant advances in the drive to develop highly-automated vehicles for the future. Over 1 million Honda and Acura vehicles on the road today have these systems which can mitigate the effect of collisions. Honda is targeting 2020 for the deployment of vehicles with highly automated highway driving capability and 2025 for the technological achievement of SAE Level 4 automated vehicles for personal use.