Jaguar Land Rover projector tech lights way ahead for autonomous cars

JAGUAR LAND Rover has developed technology for self-driving cars that shows pedestrians and other road users in which direction the vehicles are heading.

By projecting rows of parallel bars onto the road surface, people near the vehicles will get a heads-up on its “future intentions”.

Its speed is indicated by the gaps between the projected bars, which increase in line as it gets faster, and narrow when it’s slowing down or coming to a stop. The bars fan out to indicate when the car is about to make a left or right turn.

The car maker claims the projectors could also help in identifying potential obstacles on the road, and even share the car’s journey updates with pedestrians.

Peter Bennett, Jaguar Land Rover’s future mobility research manager, said: “Just like any new technology, humans have to learn to trust it, and when it comes to autonomous vehicles, pedestrians must have confidence they can cross the road safely.”

He added: “This pioneering research is forming the basis of ongoing development into how self-driving cars will interact with people in the future.”

The tech is being tested as part of ongoing “trust trials” designed to find ways for people to become more accepting of self-driving tech. In August 2018, JLR created “virtual eyes” tech that lets pedestrians know an autonomous vehicle has spotted them.

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