back to article Don't want to get run over by a Ford car? There's a Bluetooth app for that

Future Ford vehicles could be equipped with technology that lets drivers know if a pedestrian is dangerously close - even if they can't be seen. Ford claims the development is based around Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals that have become ubiquitous in modern tech thanks to low power draw and range. In this case, Ford is …

  1. Filippo Silver badge

    I assume Toyota will then go on to miniaturize the technology, and develop peril-sensitive sunglasses?

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Which famously you shouldn't wear while driving

      1. stiine Silver badge
        Happy

        Unless you want to remain calm...

        1. the spectacularly refined chap

          But that is Somebody Else's Problem.

          1. The Oncoming Scorn Silver badge
            Thumb Up

            Don't Panic!

  2. DrSunshine0104

    If it is a Mustang there is nothing you can do. It going to hit you.

    1. Inventor of the Marmite Laser Silver badge
      Coat

      Well, they Mustang somewhere.

      1. a pressbutton

        stop horsing around

  3. Pete 2 Silver badge

    Alternative uses

    > lets drivers know if a pedestrian is dangerously close

    Unless the users app is tied to a pulse monitor or something else that demands an actual living being nearlby, then all this does is warn the car there is a BLE beacon in the vicinity. Something that can be picked up cheap and in quantity. That could not only be placed at strategic points such as near to crossings, schools or other populous places, but could be put to use to slow newer Ford vehicles for any other purposes, Thus making them "think" they were always surrounded by people. (Just imagine if one of those was nefariously attached to someone's car)

    It makes you wonder what would happen if a car encountered a "person" while screaming up the motorway?

    Though it could have the benefit of making other vehicles keep a suitable distance from your own (non Ford) car.

    1. gitignore

      Re: Alternative uses

      -> It makes you wonder what would happen if a car encountered a "person" while screaming up the motorway?

      what, like a passenger ?

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

  4. Spanners Silver badge
    Pint

    How about

    Making use of these by blocking off unsuitable routes.

    I have seen things on YouTube, for instance, where over-entitled sociopaths like to take shortcuts by driving down roads the wrong way. Look up "Gandalf Corner" for some pretty arrogant driving. A couple of BLE beacons in the right place and it would keep Fords out anyway!

  5. Nifty Silver badge
    Joke

    Pairing... pairing... Splat!

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This years new Ford Ranger!!!

    You've just past this years hottest vehicle and if you act now, get 10% off at who-the-fuck-cares Ford certified dealership!!!!

    1. RobThBay

      Re: This years new Ford Ranger!!!

      Plus, it'll probably be a subscription based service.

  7. Empire of the Pussycat
    FAIL

    Ford's solution to their unsafe drivers/vehicles is for potential victims to run an app

    Surely it'd be better to fix the problem, not make it the potential the victims' responsibility.

    1. Commswonk
      Thumb Down

      Re: Ford's solution to their unsafe drivers/vehicles is for potential victims to run an app

      ...not make it the potential the victims' responsibility.

      To have to own a smartphone in the first place, let alone a specific app.

      I think I hate the way the world is heading...

      1. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge

        Re: I think I hate the way the world is heading...

        There's an app for that...

      2. Fred Dibnah

        Re: Ford's solution to their unsafe drivers/vehicles is for potential victims to run an app

        A couple of years back Trek announced that they were working with Ford to fit beacons to their bikes, and this sounds like a development of that. At that point I crossed Trek off my list of companies I will buy a bike from.

        Seems like Ford don’t understand the meaning of the word ‘autonomous’.

    2. jmch Silver badge

      Re: Ford's solution to their unsafe drivers/vehicles is for potential victims to run an app

      Especially since, knowing how these things go, a pedestrian would need 2 dozen apps just to cover the major brands and groups

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Ford's solution to their unsafe drivers/vehicles is for potential victims to run an app

      Even if you could legislate to make sure that the app was installed on all phones (ho ho ho...) you'd also have to criminalise having a flat battery on your phone, or turning it off, or putting it in aeroplane mode...

      1. Johnb89

        Re: Ford's solution to their unsafe drivers/vehicles is for potential victims to run an app

        Apple solved the aeroplane mode issue... putting an iphone in airplane mode doesn't necessarily turn the bluetooth off. Notably, if you turned bluetooth on last time you were in airplane mode, then next time you activate airplane mode the bluetooth stays on. Not sure how that's even legal, let alone not stupid.

  8. innominatus

    Nice try but

    Maybe slow speed incidents? I've seen a kid's bike run over by a reversing car (luckily no kid on it at the time) but then how many little kids have a BLE-enabled phone on them all the time?

    1. MachDiamond Silver badge

      Re: Nice try but

      "how many little kids have a BLE-enabled phone on them all the time?'

      Too many

  9. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge

    Once the hackers get their teeth into this...

    ...there might be people out there being targeted for a nasty collision.

    1. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge

      Re: Once the hackers get their teeth into this...

      Watch out who's following you...

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duel_(1971_film)

  10. that one in the corner Silver badge

    Brought to you by the Assasin's Guild

    "'Ere, you can't run me over, I've got the App on my phone"

    "Sorry Guv, you didn't take out the full monthly subscription, so I'm not allowed to miss you. 'Ere, I'm generous, how about just a bounce off the wing mirror and you'll promise to upgrade this evening - or I'll be seeing you soon."

  11. Ball boy Silver badge

    Can we have a reverse function, please?

    I'd like to have something on my phone that alerts me to the presence of autonomous cars: if there's a driver out there that's relying on aids like this to avoid running into me, I'd sure as hell like to have the tech. to be able to dodge them before it's too late.

    1. cosmodrome

      Re: Can we have a reverse function, please?

      Like someone waving a red flag in front of it? Let's make it a blockchain-enabled, ai-controlled red flag and we're in business.

      1. breakfast Silver badge

        Re: Can we have a reverse function, please?

        Simply being blockchain-enabled is a pretty big red flag tbh.

  12. gecho

    V2X

    This sort of thing is supposed to be address in V2X in a more cross industry wide basis. I would expect that the tech would eventually be mandatory in all phones / vehicles as an OS feature, not a 3rd party app. I think its based on broadcasting position and direction vectors.

    It should cut down on rear end collisions by detecting when vehicles ahead of you out of site suddenly brake. Or a when a vehicle from the side is going to blow a stop sign / red light.

    As a cyclist I really looking forward to it. People have a habit of waiting until the last second to pass cyclists, screening you from the vehicle behind until they have completely switched lanes which ends up being 10-15 feet behind you, then blam-o zero time for driver behind to react. Would also be a huge help for pedestrians when drivers are making right (left in UK) turns and typically only look upstream for traffic not even looking the other way for anyone on the sidewalk.

    It would also let traffic light know that a cyclist is approaching. The camera based detectors which are on 95% of our intersections only pickup cyclists 25% of the time. No detection, no green light, if a vehicle pulls up behind you they are too far back to trigger a green as well.

    One obvious abuse would be to attach something with V2X to done and flying it into traffic to trigger auto braking in cars.

    1. gecho

      Re: V2X

      Oops:

      https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/08/v2x-is-finally-dead-as-court-refuses-to-stop-fccs-5-9-ghz-reallocation/

    2. brainwrong

      Re: V2X

      "This sort of thing is supposed to be address in V2X in a more cross industry wide basis. I would expect that the tech would eventually be mandatory in all phones / vehicles as an OS feature, not a 3rd party app. I think its based on broadcasting position and direction vectors."

      So we can expect in the future for it to be mandatory to carry a beacon in public that broadcasts our position at all times, for our own safety, to protect us from self driving cars. I'm sure that won't be used for any other purpose.

      "The camera based detectors which are on 95% of our intersections only pickup cyclists 25% of the time. "

      They are not camera based, they are RADAR. If you wear a silly cycling hat then try sticking a metal corner-cube reflector on top, that ought to help.

      It used to be possible to purchase shoes with steel toecaps in them, stopping and placing your foot on the corner of a traffic loop in the road would make your presence known to the lights. Modern safety footware no longer uses metal :( . Maybe your bicycle wheels are still made of metal?

      1. gecho

        Re: V2X

        No the ones here are cameras, I looked up the model on the manufacturers website. Before that I did actually make a corner reflector and attached it to my bike to no effect.

        Over the past few years they "upgraded" to new cameras. The old ones had a huge sweet spot for detection. The new ones are much more focused so they can ignore vehicles making right turns. But the wind knocks them out of position, and on a bike you sometimes need to ride in the oncoming traffic lane to trigger a change.

        1. brainwrong

          Re: V2X

          I've never heard of cameras being used for this. Sounds unreliable, but I'm sure someone has patted themselves on the back for using high-tech.

          "The new ones are much more focused so they can ignore vehicles making right turns."

          You must be in different country to me.

          Where I am nearly all light controlled junctions have induction loops in the ground, and a box with an opaque window pointed at each vehicle approach, and also at the pedestrian crossings if present.

          Then somebody programs the controller badly and causes unnecessary traffic problems for the next several decades.

          I believe the boxes here use RADAR because they are accurately speed sensitive, some pedestrian crossings are programmed to stop traffic if you drive toward them over the speed limit.

          1. MrDamage Silver badge

            Re: V2X

            > I've never heard of cameras being used for this. Sounds unreliable, but I'm sure someone has patted themselves on the back for using high-tech.

            Standard conservative policy, isn't it? Have a look at the technology available, go for the shittiest option whilst taking brown paper bags from all suppliers. After a few years of "this shit ain't good enough", they then "upgrade" to the second shittiest technology, again taking brown paper bags from suppliers.

            Rinse and repeat.

      2. MachDiamond Silver badge

        Re: V2X

        "It used to be possible to purchase shoes with steel toecaps in them, stopping and placing your foot on the corner of a traffic loop in the road would make your presence known to the lights"

        I'd want to test that. The loops aren't all that sensitive which is why motorcyclists get mad that the lights never change for them. There are some US patents for devices to put on a motorcycle that will ping the inductive loops so they sense something like a motorcycle.

    3. Disgusted Of Tunbridge Wells Silver badge
      Facepalm

      Re: V2X

      Why don't you keep your use of children's toys to private land and then you won't have to worry about getting in the way of a car.

  13. ITS Retired
    FAIL

    More stuff to track people.

    Will it ever end?

    Me driving my 18 year old car, haven't hit a pedestrian yet, despite some of them doing stupid stuff. I think it's called driver awareness.

    Do we really need all this "If we can, why" not crap in our cars?

    1. Giles C Silver badge

      Re: More stuff to track people.

      Same here, the bigger problem is the a pillars getting so thick you could hide an elephant in the blind spot. I remember seeing years ago someone had proposed a lattice for the pillar instead of a solid lump of metal as it would be easier to see through. Not sure what happened to that Idea?

      But really you need to be aware of what is going on around you, forget the electronics and pay attention

      1. druck Silver badge

        Re: More stuff to track people.

        The metal isn't the reason the pillars are thick these days, its the airbags hidden in them.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: More stuff to track people.

      Me driving my 18 year old car, haven't hit a pedestrian yet, despite some of them doing stupid stuff. I think it's called driver awareness.

      I think the correct term is 'situational awareness' but that works too. It's the thing that takes a few minutes to build up, which is why this whole "autonomous driving is safe because the driver can always grab the wheel when it goes wrong" is a load of BS, but any competent driver already knows that.

      To do this right you need two apps anyway as there are two parties in play with their own responsibility: mobile phone users, for instance, need an app to look up when they're about to cross a road, maybe even suspend whatever video or other feed they're watching until it's again actually safe to do so.

      From a BOFH perspective, old as well as new cars also have screenwipers. No need for new inventions..

  14. Mostly Irrelevant

    Oh great, now you'll need 25 apps on your phone just to keep every brand of autonomous car from murdering you.

  15. Potemkine! Silver badge

    Ford says that SYNC-enabled vehicles are already equipped with the hardware needed to introduce the technology, so upgrades won't be necessary

    But subscriptions will, of course.

    == Bring us Dabbsy back! ==

  16. jmch Silver badge

    Braking distance

    "a vehicle traveling 20 MPH requires 14 meters of braking distance"

    Am I the only one thinking this is very excessive?That's 32kmh - if I stomp on my brakes at that speed, I'm pretty sure it stops in less than 3 car lengths.

    Maybe they are calculating a fairly long reaction time?

    Also if I remember correctly, the official braking distances in the highway code had been stuck at 60s cars weighing 3 tons with shit brakes, and were about double the real stopping distance of a modern car (though I believe these have now been updated)

    1. Jan 0 Silver badge

      Re: Braking distance

      Surely cars have been getting heavier since the 60s?

    2. Cylindric

      Re: Braking distance

      Easy to try for yourself in your own car with your own reflexes. Get a friend to be a passenger. Chose a quiet road somewhere or a carpark. Drive along at 20MPH and get your friend to pick a spot ahead (without telling you) and then shout "stop!" when you reach that point. Measure the distance from that spot, to where you stopped.

      RAC say that at 20mph, it takes about 3 car lengths (12m) to stop, in an average family car in normal weather.

      At 30 it's 6 lengths (23m)

      1. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge

        Re: Braking distance

        I used to visit a friend in a residential area of North London. Quiet Sunday afternoons were often shattered by the sound of screeching brakes. She told me that the local driving instructors used to like doing emergency stops outside her flat. (And no, she wasn't parading naked in front of the windows).

        Which reminds me, I was told by a customer who lives very close to it that the pedestrian crossing outside Agent Provocateur in Pont Street (Central London) is an accident hotspot.

  17. leppy232

    It's not the 1960s anymore.

    Another, even.better option, is to have cities designed so that only major arteries have car access at all and only one lane in each direction -- with bike and foot traffic and a good rail system for commuting. Something something America is too big, curious how it wasn't too big in 1920 when every city, town, and village was designed this way if it had any car friendly streets at all.

    There's plenty of good YouTube channels to check out regarding urban planning, and the Netherlands in general is pretty consistently held up as the poster child. Plus, as a train loving American, I just really want to commute on one.

    1. MachDiamond Silver badge

      Re: It's not the 1960s anymore.

      "Another, even.better option, is to have cities designed so that only major arteries have car access at all and only one lane in each direction "

      Ah yes, Utopia for the young. Wait until you have attained a certain age and trying to haul yourself and a bag of shopping a couple of blocks is more of a chore when there is six feet of snow, your'e barefoot and it's uphill all of the way.

      1. MrDamage Silver badge

        Re: It's not the 1960s anymore.

        You were just shopping. Why the fuck didn't you buy a pair of shoes?

      2. leppy232

        Re: It's not the 1960s anymore.

        By that age, I'd be as impaired by declining vision and fine motor control as a drunk 21 year old, so driving wouldn't be a good option then, either. I've done groceries multiple blocks by bike many, many times before, it's really not hard if you're in the right place. And that was in the middle of the desert, at 3 PM.

  18. dvd

    I'm not sure how Toyota can patent danger obscuring tech when Zaphod Beeblebrox was wearing sunglasses that did the same thing 40 years ago.

  19. that one in the corner Silver badge

    Ambulance chasing as a service

    Rough idea: car knows you have subscribed to the app and gets your ID from the beacon, verified by comparing GPS and accelerometer data. Send data to Cloud, which dials an "approved" (read: kickback friendly) local lawyer/ambulance/undertaker as appropriate. Use "Injury Lawyers 4 U" style advertising to incentivise (sorry) users to run the app.

    Have to sort out the details, so that Ford doesn't get sued for the accident, but they can figure that one out.

    Risks:

    - becomes too profitable for Ford, so shareholders best served by deliberately aiming cars at the app. Lawyers become rich.

    - becomes too profitable to jump in front of a Ford. Lawyers become rich.

    - other vehicle manufacturers join in scheme; traffic data is analysed in real-time to provide a spot market for maximised jaywalking profit. Lawyers become rich.

    Think of it as Economics In Action.

  20. John Robson Silver badge

    Whilst other manufacturers develop windows

    Seriously - if you build a car where the driver can't see other road users around the car then you're doing it wrong.

    1. MrDamage Silver badge

      Re: Whilst other manufacturers develop windows

      But how will other people know how small my penis is, if I don't buy a big truck and then add a 6 inch lift kit?

  21. Jason Bloomberg Silver badge

    "Masking image" technology

    So the first you know of it is "dunk", then "thunk" from the engine block.

    That scared the crap out of me when driving through a set of traffic lights at a pedestrian crossing at night and I merely saw a flash of something come from the pavement (sidewalk).

    An obligatory emergency stop, and fearing the worst; I found nothing. Then spotted a black cat racing randomly up a side road. I presume it had poorly timed its jump through the railings, gained quite a headache, and earned minus one on its life count.

    It disappeared into the dark so I don't know if it survived. A check of the Highway Code et al to see if I should report it and, "yes" for dogs, "fuck 'em" for cats.

  22. TeeCee Gold badge
    Black Helicopters

    "...that's not a lot of stoppng distance."

    I'll bet a stack of cash a foot thick that this isn't how it works.

    My bet is that passing Ford A (that's just an identifier, it doesn't have to be a Model A) picks up the signal and sends it to "the cloud" (ooooooo trendy). This then SYNCs (geddit?) with Fords B, C, D, etc in the vicinity.

    Of course, this only works if everyone has their cars connected all the time. Thus the connected car becomes an Important Safety Feature and not an important data scarfing revenue earner for Ford at all. Oh no. Perish the thought.

    I can't help thinking that a greater level of safety could be achieved by not having pedestrians dicking about with Ford apps rather then looking where they're going.

    4/10 - please try harder.

  23. Mike 16

    Dim Recolection ..

    Was SYNC the infotainment option Ford offered some years back? The one deeply intertwingled with the whole car network? The one that could "brick" the car by "playing" an evil .mp3 file?

    From the rush of "Vital Security updates" lately, it looks like bothering to check the validity (format wise) of media before attempting to "play" is still out of fashion.

    That old thumb drive labeled 'Stones Royal Concert Bootleg' that you picked up in the parking lot may not be a gift from the gods (unless you count Loki).

  24. MachDiamond Silver badge

    It's a conspiracy!

    I leave my BT, WiFi, location and data off when not in use. Are companies going to come out with these sorts of "safety" systems to force use to always have our phones with us and all radios active or we might die in a horrible accident?

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