Samsung engineers test-drive innovative Safety Trucks featuring see-through technology designed to improve truck driver safety. This innovative design is expected to reduce accidents and save lives and may be the ideal safety trucks for freight companies. Analyst predict that this new transparent Safety Truck will allow drivers to see what is coming up ahead and know when it is safe to pass. The night vision mode featured on Samsung’s video below is particularly impressive.

Peeking around a semi-trailer truck in an attempt to pass it on a two-lane highway or road can be an unsettling experience for drivers—edging toward the dashed center line only to swerve back behind the truck to narrowly avoid an oncoming vehicle.

• Will help drivers behind semi-trailer trucks on one-lane highways or roads
• Trucks will use cameras, wireless video feeds and huge display screens
• Images shot from camera in front will broadcast to a video wall on the back
• Allow drivers to see what is coming towards them without risking harm

 

To help ease drivers’ tensions in these circumstances, Samsung engineers have developed a “see-through” solution for trucks that they expect will reduce accidents and ultimately help to save lives. The Safety Truck prototype consists of a wireless camera attached to the front of the truck, which is connected to a video wall made out of four exterior monitors located on the back of the trailer. The monitors provide drivers behind the truck with a view of what is going on ahead, even at nighttime.

Such functionality makes overtaking a truck on two-lane roads a far less-strenuous activity for drivers. Another advantage that Samsung points out is that the technology could reduce the risk of accidents caused by sudden braking—for example, if an animal crosses the road just ahead of the truck, the driver following could see it and respond sooner. Of course, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are coming onboard that can automatically assist drivers in such situations.

The Safety Truck was tested in Argentina—where the number of traffic accidents is among the highest in the world, the company notes—but can obviously find application on roads around the globe.

Samsung led the prototype development, providing large format display samples and conducting a test with a local B2B client; however, the prototype truck is not currently in operation. After initial testing, Samsung was able to confirm that the technology functions properly and that the concept “can definitely save the lives of many people.”

The next step for Samsung is to perform the corresponding tests to comply with existing national protocols and to obtain the necessary permits and approvals. The company says it is working with NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and governments to fulfill these requirements.

Sources: SAE International; The Daily Mail UK; SamsungTomorrow Blog