Pedestrian’s Phone to Car: Hey, I’m Walking Here!

General Motors Co. is developing technology to alert drivers to nearby pedestrians and bicyclists by detecting their smartphones.

The system would use Wi-Fi Direct, the new wireless standard that permits smartphones to communicate directly with each other rather than through cell towers. The technology can detect another device within about 200 yards.

GM envisions Wi-Fi Direct integrating with rather than replacing a vehicle's own object detection system to help locate people on congested streets or when visibility is poor. The company notes that the technology could be especially helpful in alerting a driver to a pedestrian stepping between parked vehicles, for example.

The peer-to-peer wireless system is attractive because it can detect a Wi-Fi Direct-equipped phone within about one second, according to GM. The company says it takes about eight seconds to establish a mobile phone connection through a cell tower too slow to be useful in warning a driver about a nearby pedestrian.

GM says it also may develop a special app for people with Wi-Fi Direct-enabled phones that would broadcast such identifiers as "construction worker" or "bike messenger" to drivers in the vicinity.