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Dung beetles in cow pies helping Toyota create night vision systems? [w/video]

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:29:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Videos, Toyota

Dung Beetles and your driving will soon have something in common - Click above to watch video

It's called "local adaptive spatiotemporal smoothing," and ~~birds~~ moths do it, bees do it, even ~~educated fleas~~ dung beetles do it. What it means is that when a dung beetle looks at something, it can selectively enhance multiple areas for details or for motion detection simultaneously. What that apparently means for you is, eventually, full-color night vision in your car.

According to New Scientist, Toyota has teamed up with researchers who have been studying insect optics in order to create better driving aids. Mercedes-Benz and BMW use infrared for their night-vision system, but this new system gathers information gathered in the visible spectrum and processes it differently.

It involves a three-part algorithmic, two of which video cameras use right now. When capturing a scene at night, the camera brightens the dark pixels while leaving bright pixels unaltered. The second step is to sharpens the edges within the picture, which it does by changing pixel values where it detects boundaries between light and dark areas. It increases details at the same time as it increases noise. The new and final step that is owed to dung beetles is when the camera compares values of nearby pixels to smooth out the image. The result is reduced noise and enhanced detail.

Now that the scientists have created a camera that can do all this processing on-the-go and at driving speed, Toyota will begin the work of integration. Follow the jump to check out a video on the research. Who would have thought a bug needed such awesome vision to find poop. Hat tip to Ric J!

[Source: New Scientist | Image: Paul Garland - C.C. License 2.0]

Continue reading Dung beetles in cow pies helping Toyota create night vision systems? [w/video]

Dung beetles in cow pies helping Toyota create night vision systems? [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2009 Preview: FLIR helps BMWs detect pedestrians

Chris Tutor — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:36:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, CES, Safety, BMW

FLIR, the maker of BMW's night-vision system, will be at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week showing off its PathFindIR thermal imaging camera. The company says its system isn't confused by oncoming headlights, works well in cold weather and can even see through fog, dust and smoke.

FLIR also says its camera is based on the same technology used by the military to provide a 36° field-of-view of the road ahead.

We plan to check out the company's claims in the 6 Series they're bringing to CES. Maybe they'll even let us take it out and recreate that urban rumor of 200-mph desert highway sprints with no headlights. No, probably not.

CES 2009 Preview: FLIR helps BMWs detect pedestrians originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Next BMW night vision system can detect humans in the dark

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Sedan, Technology, BMW

The next BMW 7-Series is going to be graced with some serious driving technology. While the image above doesn't appear to have anything like the picture quality of Mercedes' NightVision Assist, BMW's offering will have some other features that you probably won't find this side of a special ops base.

The second-gen night vision system will be able to detect humans in the road because it will use thermal imaging. It will alert the driver of human impediments up to 100 meters ahead, and it won't be confused by humans on the sidewalk. If a collision is imminent, a flashing warning triangle will appear on the screen and the heads-up display.

European versions of the car won't have to rely on navigation software to know the speed limit of a given road. A camera behind the rear-view mirror will read street sings in any country that is signed to the Vienna Convention -- which doesn't include the U.S. That function will work in any weather, even fog. It won't limit the speed of the car, but it will warn the driver if his or her speed is excessive. Word is they are considering naming the system "Hal." Thanks for the tip, Chris!

[Source: BMWblog]

The camera found in the Night-Vision-system will be improved as well, featuring a better resolution and improved object-recognition. The system will warn the driver if he is in danger of a collision with any detected object or human. To test this technique they test drove over 250.000 kilometers at night, so the error margins are pretty slim. That's pretty impressive I would say.

Next BMW night vision system can detect humans in the dark originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota Crown hybrid gets Night View, spots pedestrians

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 30 May 2008 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Safety, Technology, Toyota

Click above for more shots of Toyota's Night View

We've questioned why some automakers in the past have gone to the trouble of replicating the look of traditional gauges when normal ones would do the trick. In the case of the new Toyota Crown Hybrid, though, there is a good reason for the 1280 x 480 pixel LCD panel mounted directly above the steering wheel in the dash, and Toyota calls it "Night View." Though other companies have used some sort of night vision technology before, and many have begun offering headlights that turn with the steering wheel to improve the safety of driving at night, Toyota has gone a step further by adding human recognition to its system. The technology currently only works when the vehicle is being driven between 15-60km/h, or about 10-40 miles per hour. Certain conditions, like rain, can also sometimes force the system to shut down. A high cost is also being cited as a potential obstacle to bring the technology to market. Toyota, however, is forging ahead and currently working on lowering the cost of Night View and programming it to recognize bicycles and animals.

Gallery: Toyota Night View

[Source: Nikkei]

Toyota Crown hybrid gets Night View, spots pedestrians originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 May 2008 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Super seeing speculation! Porsche developing night vision system?

Damon Lavrinc — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 07:52:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Technology, Porsche

The Deutsch-obsessed purveyors of the German Car Scene got a tip that Porsche is in the process of developing a night vision system, ala the Merc S-class, that will likely debut when the 997 undergoes a facelift sometime in 2007.

The picture above is what fueled the speculation, with what's assumed to be a set of infrared projector beams mounted within the headlamp. Said beams would exchange information with a camera mounted on the windshield, then project the enhanced image onto a screen.

We're less than convinced that this is the case, not just because a digital dash would have to be adopted by the guys and gals of Stuttgart, but because it seems contrary to the Porsche edict of over-engineered, gimmickless motoring.

Thanks for the tip, Mike!

[Source: German Car Scene]

Super seeing speculation! Porsche developing night vision system? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Dec 2006 07:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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