MOTORING NEWS
THE world’s first predictive cruise control system is being heralded by Japanese car company Honda.
Known as Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control, it is claimed to be capable of foreseeing and automatically reacting to other vehicles cutting-in on a driver.
Honda says i-ACC is based on real-world research of typical European driving styles and uses a camera and radar to sense the position of other vehicles on the road.
It then applies an algorithm to predict the likelihood of vehicles in neighbouring lanes cutting-in, enabling the equipped Honda to react quickly and safely.
The plan is to debut i-ACC on Executive versions of the new CR-V model, building on the existing Adaptive Cruise Control set-up, which maintains a safe distance to a car in front.
If a vehicle cuts in from a neighbouring lane, the traditional ACC system reacts later – requiring stronger braking.
But the new i-ACC is able to gauge the likelihood of a cut-in up to five seconds before it occurs, and is designed to react smoothly so as not to startle the driver.
In this case the system applies just a mild brake initially, with an icon appearing on the driver display informing the driver why a slowdown has occurred. It then brakes more strongly to keep a safe distance.
The i-ACC also recognises the side of the road you are driving on, whether in the UK or on the continent, and automatically detects which neighbouring vehicle is the most critical to be aware of at any given moment.
A Honda spokesman said: “i-ACC is a significant breakthrough and a considerable further step towards a new generation of driver assistance systems that anticipate the behaviour of other traffic participants.”
