Did you know that there are more than 20,000 kangaroo strikes on Australia’s roads every year? In response to the rogue roo problem, Volvo is in the process of training it’s City Safe autonomous braking system to recognize kangaroos that enter into the path of the vehicle. The system are responsible for -and automatically slam on the brakes if the driver does not.
The system was originally developed to detect pedestrians; later this year the same setup will enable selected Volvo cars to also detect cyclists.
A radar sensor in the grille scans the road 100 metres ahead and a camera in the windscreen works with the radar to detect which way the object is moving to help the computer decide what action to take, if any.
The system processes 15 images every second and can react to an emergency in half the time a human driver can, Volvo claims. With some kangaroos taller than six feet, the system may prevent considerable vehicle damage.
Volvo claims it is working on a system that can recognize dogs and cats.