The automotive industry is rapidly transforming, with central integrations of technology into the way we drive. Advanced safety features are one of the many incredible advancements found in modern automobiles. These systems are intended to provide a comfortable and convenient driving experience while also ensuring safety. If you’ve bought or leased a car in the last few years, you may have noticed some new features inside: an adaptive cruise control system, lane-keep assist, and automatic emergency braking-all of which are part of active safety/advanced driver assistance and, according to most estimates, will completely change how humans and cars interact on the roads.
Below is a summary of how ADAS evolved, and changed over time, the technologies involved, and where it’s going into the future. Fear not, I shall break it down into words and ways which will be easy to comprehend. I even threw in some of my anecdotes along the way as it would all make it more relatable.
What is ADAS?
Before talking about its history and evolution, let me elaborate on what ADAS is. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems are technologies put together to assist drivers while driving and parking. They make the vehicle much safer because they reduce the chances of accidents and improve the driver’s ability to act against pending dangers on the road at that moment.
Following are some of the other common features of ADAS:
1. Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
2. Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
3. Blind Spot Detection(BSD)
4. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
5. Traffic Sign Recognition
6. Park Assist
Early Days: The Very Roots of ADAS
It started with several tentative first steps in the 1950s, but at the time, nobody would ever call it “ADAS.” That was when automakers began considering how automobiles could be made safer and easier to drive.
Introduction of Airbags
Although it would not be considered to be strictly part of ADAS, another critical development paving the way for safer cars was the introduction of airbags. At the beginning of the 1970s, manufacturers started deploying airbags as part of the standard safety features within automobiles. These passive safety systems would work in concert with the active systems ABS being developed for safer driving.
The 1990s and Early 2000s: The Rise of Electronics
The 1990s, though: Finally the penny dropped; the automotive world cottoned on to what electronics and sensors could do to help avoid accidents in the first place. Features to that count during this decade were electronic stability control for helping drivers stay on course, especially in slippery conditions.
This system was followed, in 2000, by the birth of the system called **Adaptive Cruise Control**: a mix of radar and sensors that monitor distances from the vehicles in front and automatically change the car speed to maintain proper distance. More importantly, this represented a further step toward the final goal: completely automated systems, able to support drivers in their everyday travels.
The 2010s: The Explosion of ADAS Technologies
That would set up the automotive industry’s explosion in ADAS technologies in the 2010s. It was that era that began to allow many of those advanced sensors, cameras, and radar to make that quantum jump into active safety features inside a vehicle.
Lane Departure Warning and Lane-Keeping Assist
The development of major features during this era included Lane Departure Warning (LDW), which was meant to alert the driver in case the car was veering off its lane without signaling. Further refinement by Lane-Keeping Assist (LKA) enabled active control of the steering to keep the vehicle within its lane in case involuntary lane drift was detected.
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
Another breakthrough was Automatic Emergency Braking-AEB: The system, via cameras, radar, or LIDAR, detects obstructions, other vehicles, or pedestrians in front of the car. If something is wrong and a collision is going to happen, AEB will hit the brakes on its own to prevent it or at least minimize damage. Hard to believe, but AEB has been mainstream on production cars only for about the last decade.
BSD-Blind Spot Detection
Another safety feature that took hold in the 2010 decade is “Blind Spot Detection or BSD”. Using sensors, this BSD acts on areas on either side of the car that a driver may not be able to see. Once another vehicle enters your blind spot, the system will alert you, via a visual or audible warning.
Pedestrian Detection Systems
As vehicle safety started to be in demand, manufacturers also started paying heed to pedestrian safety. Pedestrian Detection Systems trace the detection of pedestrians crossing in front of the vehicle. In case of detecting a pedestrian and failing reaction of the driver in time, the system is always ready to autonomously hit the brakes.
The Present Day: Fully Integrated ADAS Features
Today, it has grown into a cohesive suite of technologies working in tandem to enable convenience and safety. Many features that used to function in a discrete manner now work together as an integrated bundle to provide seamless driving. Semi-autonomous driving is enabled in most new vehicles, with Tesla’s Autopilot and GM’s Super Cruise leading the fray.
Of these, probably the most interesting topic in recent years has been the enhancement of “V2V communications” In other words, cars speak with one another about their speed, direction, and even road conditions. Imagine that your car warns you of impending dangers well before you can even see them. That is what we get closer to with each passing year.
A Personal Anecdote: My Experience with ADAS
First ever Adaptive Cruise Control drive in my life, and quite a considerable period of its driving fell upon me to drive it on the highways. Set the desired speed, ACC ON-voil̀: every time a slower vehicle shows up in the front, the car changes the speed. Cruising-no fiddle with throttle, surreal feel. It felt more that the car was backing me up, that I was in line with the road rather than always checking on the traffic.
In conclusion, what happened on the way, as ADAS grew and evolved, is nothing short of phenomenal. From the simple safety features of ABS to the complete suite of technologies that make driving safer and more convenient, ADAS forged ahead with innovation. It’s exciting to consider what further ADAS will bring us in our driving. We drive into new times, safer, smarter, funnier.