At Skoda, we are actively working on new smart grilles.
Everything is done in collaboration with the Czech Technical University, and the first tests are ” very promising according to the manufacturer. Explanations.
Skoda is (also) considering pedestrian safety
The manufacturer Skoda is currently working on a brand new so-called “intelligent” grille. It is a signal grille at the front of the car, which aims to communicate directly with its surroundings. For this, the grille is equipped with integrated LED strips which allow the display of pictograms and even animations, intended (among others) for pedestrians.
This new technology is currently being tested, using a small rover called IPA2X, in Italy and Slovenia. Skoda says that in Milan and Modena the robot, which displays both information for pedestrians and warnings for approaching cars, has been tested near schools, while in Ljubljana the focus has been on the elderly.
A smart grille at Skoda?
” It is basically a complete replacement for the backlit Crystal Face of the Enyaq iV. We made a new body with LED strip holders. The LEDs are programmable and each of them can be controlled separately, making it possible to create animations explains Zdeněk Herda, from the Technical Development Department at Skoda.
Skoda explains in particular that a car approaching a pedestrian crossing will be able to inform pedestrians sufficiently in advance that it has spotted them. On the grille, we can thus observe green arrows to indicate to pedestrians that they can cross, or on the contrary, a message telling them not to engage. This will avoid small problems like those that Tesla had experienced at the time with its vehicles.
Currently, the tested symbols include green arrows, a green silhouette of a man, traffic light colors, a warning triangle, and finally a red triangle with a cross. Skoda explains testing different scenarios and the possibilities offered by these technologies.
The manufacturer indicates that the test phase should be completed in 2024, and that the first robots could be deployed in the streets from the following year.
Source : Skoda
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