For some time, UK-based Cambridge Consultants’ engineers and scientists have been pushing back the boundaries in the driver assistance arena, helping its clients enter new markets. Last month, Matthew Beecham talked to Dr Gordon Oswald, director of Cambridge Consultants’ automotive activities, about the evolution of driver assistance systems and what we could expect of these technologies.
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just-auto: What is your approach (or philosophy if you like) to driver assistance?
Dr Gordon Oswald: To develop technology capable of supplementing human capabilities at low cost.
just-auto: Could you talk us through Cambridge Consultants’ stage of development with regard to its anti-collision system? What are the technical hurdles still to cross?
Dr Gordon Oswald: The technology is under evaluation for a number of applications with an assortment of customers. Its status ranges from “initial exploration” through to “validation complete”. There are a number of technical hurdles, including design integration, design to cost and regulatory approval.
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just-auto: There are a number of big players spending huge amounts of money in this area. How does your approach differ from the competition?
Dr Gordon Oswald: We try to focus on (a) what customers need; (b) what physics decrees; (c) what regulations allow; and (d) where our experience tells us to seek added functionality at low cost. Our solutions are not driven by engineering convenience or fashion.
just-auto: Could the driver’s confidence in collision-avoidance systems result in a higher degree of willingness to take risks?
Dr Gordon Oswald: This is a key factor behind the strategy of any manufacturer in introducing driver assistance systems. A balance needs to be struck between actual and perceived risks. Our responsibility is to ensure that the best affordable technology is made available to improve driver safety and convenience.
just-auto: How much freedom should remain with the driver?
Dr Gordon Oswald: This goes to the root of safety strategy. Our contribution is to develop promising technology, and to ensure that it is safe in itself. The question of how it “should” then be applied is being addressed by those who build, supply, regulate and use the cars.
just-auto: Flashing lights and video screens on the dashboard and audible bleeps from the car’s loud speakers all suggest distracting the driver too much. Are head-up displays the best solution?
Dr Gordon Oswald: Once again, driver distraction is a key factor in determining the strategy for applying a particular function in aid of the driver. Head-up displays have the advantage of reducing visual diversion. Each form of alert has to be evaluated with respect to its function and circumstances.
just-auto: Who would be liable if the technology failed: the driver or the automaker? Presumably, product liability claims could hit the roof if it could be proved that the car’s manufacturer in some way caused a crash or increased its severity.
Dr Gordon Oswald: Driver aids have been slow to enter the market, and this may be a primary reason. Drivers and suppliers will have to reach a form of détente at which the appropriate liability of the manufacturer is balanced with the fundamental responsibility of the driver to select and drive his or her car with safety in mind. Without such détente, automotive products will be slow to advance.
just-auto: Are there legal implications blocking further roll-out of your innovations? Once these legal implications are out of the way, presumably we expect to see many more sophisticated systems take over more of the driving tasks in certain situations?
Dr Gordon Oswald: I am not a legal expert, but I would see this as a cultural issue and one that will evolve with experience, rather than one that depends on specific legal provisions. The demand for travel safety is linked with many aspects of human activity, each involving balances between utility, convenience, safety and cost. As technology permits greater integration of the driver’s intentions with the car’s condition, road capacity and its other occupants, we should expect a better combination of benefit and risk.
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