A Detector To Stop Automobile Accidents, Impressed By Bugs: Research

Insects fly around in large groups without colliding because they have a natural system that helps them detect obstacles and avoid collisions. Inspired by insects, scientists have developed a simple detector that can help vehicles avoid collisions. Their study was published in the journal ACS Nano.

While there are detectors for vehicles, they are often complicated, heavy, and don’t work very well in the dark. Most fatal car accidents occur at night because drivers often do not recognize the obstacle until it is too late.

What are existing collision avoidance systems?

Existing collision avoidance systems (CASs) allow a vehicle to automatically brake when an object gets too close. Some analyze an image of the car’s surroundings, but the image may be blurry in heavy rain or low light. There are complicated signal processors that can make sense of what’s still visible, and some vehicles may also include radar sensors, but these require a lot of power and are bulky, adding unnecessary weight to the vehicle.

Insects don’t have these fancy circuits, but they can easily avoid collisions. Their neural circuits, which allow them to avoid obstacles, are highly efficient. Scientists therefore used them as inspiration for the development of a collision detector. This would be adapted to detect vehicles and would use less power than existing CASs.

The team first designed an algorithm based on the neural circuits of insects. Its function was simple: instead of processing an entire image, the algorithm would only process the intensity of a car’s headlights. By minimizing the equipment required, the overall detector became smaller and more energy efficient.

In real-world scenarios at night, the detector could spot a potential two-car crash two to three seconds beforehand. The driver then has enough time to take critical corrective action, according to a press release from the American Chemical Society, which ACS Nano issues.

ACS quoted the researchers as saying that this novel detector can help make existing CAS better and safer.