Magna Develops Rear Seat Camera

Automotive supplier, Magna International Inc. has developed a rear seat camera that will help parents keep tabs on what is happening in the rear seats of their minivans. This will be one of the new features of the revamped 2018 Honda Odyssey.

In the wake of several cases where children have been trapped in hot cars after their parents have forgotten them in their back seats due to the use of rear facing child seats, the new will help parents to retain their focus on the road even while using a display screen to have a clear view of the seats in the middle and third row seats. A digital, megapixel camera will be fitted in the ceiling above the third row of seats to give front row passengers a top-down view of children who might be seated in both the middle and rear seats.

The feature would be effective even in low-light or in dark conditions, as the passengers would be illuminated by an infrared LED light and can be clearly visualized on the main screen of the infotainment system.

Honda had launched the 2018 Odyssey at the 2017 edition of the Detroit auto show in January. Magna is currently in discussions with other manufacturers who are interested in incorporating the feature in their new models. The new technology is one more addition to the Canadian automotive supplier’s list of driver-assist technology, which includes rearview, side-view and front-facing cameras that are used to support features like collision mitigation braking, adaptive cruise control, 360-degree bird’s-eye view and automatic emergency braking.

Speaking about the new feature, Swamy Kotagiri, Magna’s chief technology officer and president of Magna Electronics said that the new in-cabin child-monitoring feature is one more example of how Magna uses technology to meet the needs of specific lifestyles and vehicles like the needs of families with children who generally use minivans for transport.

He concluded, “With today’s drivers facing more distractions than ever, our goal is to continue to develop new driver-assistance features to enhance vehicle functionality, improve safety and provide peace of mind.”