Samsung wants to leverage its technological expertise to make the roads a safer place.
It’s a situation most drivers have experienced plenty of times: You’re driving down a two-lane highway, stuck behind a slow-moving semi truck and unsure if it’s safe to drive in the opposite lane to pass the vehicle.
A prototype truck designed by Samsung shows how the South Korean electronics company hopes to leverage technology to make the oversize vehicles seemingly transparent.
A front-facing camera with night vision capability projects what the semi driver is seeing in front of them. The live video images is then projected onto the back of the truck, showing drivers behind the semi when it is or is not safe for them to pass.
“This allows drivers to have a better view when deciding whether it is safe to overtake. Another advantage of the Safety Truck is that it may reduce the risk of accidents caused by sudden braking or animals crossing the road,” a recent Samsung Tomorrow blog post said.
Samsung said it tested a prototype with a “local B2B” client in Argentina, where traffic accidents are high — something the company attributed to the many two lane roads in the country.
While the prototype truck is no longer operational, Samsung said the next step will be for the company to work with local non-profits and government regulators to make the trucks ready for the road — and hopefully saving lives.