Honda Tests Tech to Let Cars See Around Buildings

Honda is working on new Smart Intersection technology to help vehicles see through buildings. It's demonstrating the system today in Marysville, Ohio, home to one of its US plants.

The idea isn't to give the cars x-ray vision that lets them see through buildings. Instead, it uses vehicle to everything (V2X) communications and cameras to let the car see virtually through or around a building. In nearly any weather or lighting condition.

It's a common issue driving in a city. Buildings or obstacles too close to the road don't let drivers see around them. It increases the risk of a collision with another vehicle, or with a cyclist or pedestrian. It's also stressful to drivers knowing that they need to pull out from an intersection they can't see around.

Honda says that intersection collisions are around 40 percent of all collisions and account for 20 percent of annual traffic deaths in the US.

The Smart Intersection technology puts cameras at every intersection and lets the cars talk to them. The cameras can see up to 91m in every direction. Then, using Honda's object recognition technology, the car can tell the driver if there is anything coming or if it's safe to pull out. If it's not, the car can give the driver visible and audible alerts.

"Honda believes that V2X technology is an essential component of a smarter and safer transportation ecosystem and can play a role in our dream for a zero-collision society," said Honda R&D VP Ted Klaus. "By partnering with the City of Marysville and the State of Ohio, we believe this research will give us a better understanding of how V2X technologies can be further advanced and most effectively deployed for the benefit of all road users."

Honda shut down part of Marysville's uptown district to show off the system. The automaker has committed to using 200 connected vehicles to evaluate V2X technology on a Smart Mobility Corridor build on US Route 33 in Ohio.