Currently reading: Nissan develops tech to help drivers 'see' around corners

Firm says data-driven Invisible-to-Visible system can provide information on unseen hazards

Nissan has developed new technology that will allow vehicles to show drivers ‘invisible’ dangers hidden behind buildings and around corners.

The Invisible-to-Visible (I2V) system is powered by data gathered by car sensors and online information provided by connected devices. It has been developed by Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility division and will be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week.

The I2V device uses what Nissan calls "Omni-Sensing" technology to gather real-time data from nearby traffic, the vehicle’s surroundings and its interior. That allows it to create a 360deg ‘virtual space’ around the car, which means it can react to its immediate surroundings and anticipate what’s ahead – so Nissan says it can know what’s around a blind corner.

To make it more “enjoyable”, Nissan has developed a system that, it says, will present this information to drivers “in an interactive, human-like way”, using avatars that appear inside the car.

Nissan also claims the system will be able to give more in-depth information about traffic and travel times, allowing it to suggest the fast-moving lane to pick in heavy traffic, or scanning for available spaces in car parks.

The technology uses Nissan’s semi-autonomous systems and is also designed to work with fully autonomous cars in the future. The firm says that, for example, it can detect rain and project images of a sunny day inside a vehicle.

Nissan says that the I2V system also enhances connectivity, potentially allowing friends and family to be displayed inside cars as augmented-reality avatars.

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James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar's acting magazine editor. Having served in that role since June 2023, he is in charge of the day-to-day running of the world's oldest car magazine, and regularly interviews some of the biggest names in the industry to secure news and features, such as his world exclusive look into production of Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets. 

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catnip 5 January 2019

What happened to anticipation

What happened to anticipation and skill when driving a car? This stuff might be ok for fully autonomous driving, but until then its just another gimmick some will rely on to concentrate even less on what they're doing.

Paul Dalgarno 4 January 2019

Who is asking for this stuff?

I love tech, but this is vastly complicated and offers dubious benefits in my opinion. 

Road safety and congestion seem to be the drivers for it all, and it’s worth developing, but seeing the computing power required and the lack of standardisation across the industry scares the hell out of me. What happens when the unlucky happens and the sensor or computer error causes one to plow into a bus stop queue?

Are legislators also forgetting that some people get pleasure from driving, and that not all areas are congested.

 

Peter Cavellini 4 January 2019

Creepy?

  A bit disturbing this tech, any more help(?) driving a Car and we will need a co-Pilot!