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Ford directional audio alerts bike bells
Ford testing in-car bike bells to alert drivers

Driver alerts – in the form of visual displays and warning tones – help us to negotiate our daily drives. But what if such sounds simulated those made by potential hazards – and enabled drivers to know exactly where they were coming from?

Ford is trialling smart driver alert technology that could do exactly that. Engineers are exploring a clever use of in-car audio to clearly convey the location of other road users or pedestrians. In addition, they are testing the use of intuitive sounds – such as footsteps, bicycle bells and the sound of passing cars – rather than a single tone.

Initial tests revealed that drivers using Directional Audio Alerts were significantly more accurate when it came to identifying potential hazards and their position.

“Today’s warning tones already inform drivers when they need to take care and be vigilant. Tomorrow’s technology could alert us to both exactly what the hazard is and where it is coming from,” said Oliver Kirstein, SYNC software engineer, Enterprise Connectivity, Ford of Europe.

This is an excerpt of the full Ford media statement which can be found here.

Learn more from the video below.

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