You may recall I wrote earlier about how quiet hybrids are, and the test conducted by the U.S. National Federation of the Blind's Committee on Automotive and Pedestrian Safety. And yes, a hybrid car running totally on battery power is so quiet a blind person, or even a sighted person not paying enough attention, could be in serious trouble when the hybrid "sneaks up" on them.Lotus, the automobile company, not the makers of the late Lotus 1-2-3, has come up with a possible solution. The Lotus "Safe & Sound" sytem (above) generates an artificial engine noise that rises and falls, just like the sounds of a normal engine, during acceleration. Once the regular engine kicks in, the system automatically turns off.
Don't think this is all altruism on Lotus' part. Congress has legislation pending which, if it passes, would require the Transportation Department to spend two years studying the problem before developing safety standards. After that, automakers would have two years to comply. Guess whose technology would then have a big leg up, since Lotus is already working on it.
Of course, Lotus isn't the first to come up with something: Enhanced Vehicle Acoustics, which has the backing of the National Federation of the Blind, was founded August 2007 by Stanford University-based researchers in electrical engineering. Their PANDA, or "Pedestrian Awareness Noise-emitting Device and Application" system (below) was announced last month.
Lotus has its own high-profile partners; it's collaborating with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association on its system.
Watch the Lotus-produced video below:
And, equal time being what it is, here's a video highlighting the PANDA system:
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