(Newswire.net — November 6, 2019) — Although cars today are loaded with numerous assistive technologies and computer systems, this does not mean that all problems are eliminated and that four-wheelers are absolutely safe. There are still issues that plague even the most decked out vehicles.
While the “dead-end” problem in the rear is resolved in cars equipped with a system that gives an audible and visual signal in the rear-view mirror to alert the driver to the presence of another vehicle, the problem created by the front A-frame is still there.
There were various attempts by some manufacturers to split the A-frame into two thin columns with glass in between, while others experimented with transparent lattice supports, but the problem was not completely resolved. This is indeed a major shortcoming, according to data released by the US NHTSA, who reports that over 840,000 car crashes that occur on U.S. roadways each year are caused by the A-frame blind spot.
However, Alaina Gassler, a 14-year-old girl from West Grove, Pennsylvania, who does not yet have a driver’s license, says she has a solution for this safety issue, Popular Mechanics reports.
She recently presented her solution at the Broadcom MASTERS competition for high school students.
Using relatively inexpensive and widespread technology, found in most electronics stores, Alaina has come up with a way to neutralize the front “blind spots” created by the wider A-frame.
“I wanted to find a way to get rid of them,” Gassler says. “And my older brother, Carter, just started to drive, so it was a big safety concern.”
She put a camera outside of the A-frame, in a direction that would cover the driver’s view, and a small projector inside that projects the image to the inside surface of the frame. “That way, the driver ‘sees’ behind the bracket,” explains the teen, who was awarded $ 25,000 for her solution.
This is not a completely original invention, however, since some auto companies (admittedly with incomparably larger budgets and human resources) have developed similar technologies in recent years.
Jaguar and Land Rover introduced the 360 Virtual Urban Windscreen system in 2014, which allows the driver to see all around the road as if there were no roof rack.
The company, again with the help of external cameras, enabled the driver to see what was going on from the outside, through the image projected onto the interior of the roof and frames. In this way, the driver will notice pedestrians, cyclists or other cars that would not otherwise be visible from the pillar on time, further reducing the risk of a traffic accident.
The projector is just part of her initial prototype to prove out her concept, says Gassler. The next step is to utilise the LCD screens which have better resolution than projections which will allow the brightness and contrast to change according to the weather and time of day.
Fingers crossed.