Nissan Technology Protects Walls

by Bertel Schmitt

Published: November 23rd, 2012

Nissan showed technology that protects both walls from cars, and drivers from their own stupidity lack of judgment. Sonar devices in the front and rear of the car detect hard obstacles. If the system decides that the driver is about to hit the wall, the computer cuts the gas and applies the brake.

Yesterday, Nissan was confident enough in its system to load journalists into a car, which then was driven into a wall erected in the parking lot of a Yokohama soccer stadium. The computer prevented harm to car, wall and fourth estate. The system also should prevent low speed collisions in garages and during traffic jams.

The system will first be optionally available in the new Elgrand minivan, which will go on sale in Japan on December 13.

#BertelSchmitt #Japan #Nissan #Safety

Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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4 of 19 comments

JD-Shifty on Nov 25, 2012

Wow. Look at all the "grumpy old man" rants.

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- NMGOM on Nov 26, 2012
  
  JD-Shifty... Guilty. Remember: Jalopnik did a survey among their more traveled readers, and found that America is the 4th worst country on this planet for driving competence. Things like this wall device aren't going to help people wake up and maintain continued awareness, alertness, diligence, and responsibility. I was taught both hands on the wheel, scanning eye patterns out front, and the continual planning of stopping distances (in car lengths!) and escape routes. If that is old-fashioned, then so be it. -------------
  
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Chas404 on Nov 26, 2012

Enter male chauvenist comments.... here. This tech would be the savior of all the shiny new small SUVs and Chryco battlewagon minivans I see all scarred up. How on earth these soccer mommies back into things in a tiny Escape or RAV4 etc I will never understand. Why I park my truck on another planet wihen going to the mall.

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- NMGOM on Nov 26, 2012
  
  chas404.. "Why I park my truck on another planet wihen going to the mall." I don't go to malls for that very reason. With my bright new shiny Frontier, I would have to be medicated to do so. And I can't even tell where I would park the Z4 (avatar above) in ANY public environment. (Wasn't there some mayor of a small German town who had oversized parking spaces installed for the women drivers in his area? Instead of drawing the ire of feminists, he got letters thanking him for the realism and convenience. But that's there and this is here. Well, you wanted a male chauvinist comment, so now you have one.) ----------------
  
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