Honda Tests Smartphone-Based Accident Prevention

Honda Motor Co. is studying techniques to help a vehicle avoid collisions with pedestrians and motorcyclists by detecting their cell phones.

The concept senses nearby mobile phones and uses GPS and dynamic sensing to calculate their movement and determine if a collision is imminent. The technology also could be used to sense impending collisions with other cars.

Honda says its system could go into production by 2020. The technology relies on cell phones and cars equipped with so-called dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) technology operating in the 5.9 GHz band.

In the event of an impending collision between a car and pedestrian, the pedestrian's phone receives a signal that activates a loud repeating beep and flashes a warning on the screen. The driver also receives audible and visual cues. The system can tell the driver whether the pedestrian is texting, listening to music or making a phone call. If the driver takes no action to avoid a collision, the system Honda is developing can activate the brakes automatically.

The company is testing the car-to-pedestrian and car-to-motorcycle systems at its R&D center in Raymond, Ohio. The latter technology also is being developed by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.