It’s possible that we’ll see future Tesla cars come with a built-in feature which will allow no kid is left behind in hot cars. The company is therefore seeking permission from the FCC to market a short-range interactive motion sensing device which will use higher power level than the current rules allow.
Based on the filings as reported by The Verge, the device will use millimeter-wave radar technology in order to detect movement within a vehicle and to classify its occupants.
According to Tesla, there are over 50 children that had died inside hot cars in just 2019 alone according to the National High Traffic Safety Administration. Tesla is therefore proposing to build more effective ways of preventing this accidents. Also, the technology will be able to detect breathing patterns and heart rates unlike weight-based sensor systems, this can tell the difference between an actual child or an object which can prevent false alarms.
The technology also has other usefulness aside this as it can deploy airbag in a crash as it’s able to detect the actual body size of those occupying the car. It can also lead to a much more accurate seatbelt reminders as it knows the actual size of the person on the seat.
The technology will focus more on the vehicle’s interior and will be able to scan up to six feet outside of a car. Which will give it the capability needed to provide a more advanced theft prevention system just in case anyone breaks into the car.
Based on the public notice the FCC has released (PDF), Tesla filed the waiver back on July 31st. The agency is now seeking comments about the automaker’s request until September 21st, 2020.
An approval would change the face of the automobile industry as this will also farther push Tesla forward as the frontliner in the EV as well as safety car measures which could save lives and reduce the number of accidents relating to kids getting suffocated in hot cars.
