Intelligent Grilles Tell Pedestrians When To Cross The Road

Volkswagen's Skoda brand is working on a new safety system to help pedestrians cross the road safely, with a new Human-Machine Interface (HMI) communicating with pedestrians and fellow drivers alike.

The Czech automaker has fitted an Enyaq - closely related to the Volkswagen ID.4 - with a grille-mounted display. When the EV approaches a crosswalk, the vehicle's sensors and safety technology detect pedestrians on the sidewalk and can instruct them to cross the street or not.

Arrows, along with a walking avatar, show them that it's safe to cross the road. Skoda has chosen green to convey this message, as we already associate this color with having the right of way. Once the pedestrian has safely made their way over the street, two flashing red warning triangles appear on the grille, indicating that entering the crosswalk is no longer safe.

Usually, when waiting at a pedestrian crossing, we look to the driver for confirmation that it's safe to cross the road. But with fully autonomous vehicles edging closer to reality, there's a chance that someday, we may find ourselves having to venture to the opposite sidewalk in front of a self-driving car without occupants. This system will help confused pedestrians make safe progress without fear of getting run over, particularly when large SUVs approach an intersection.

Skoda has tested the technology with real people: using eye-tracking glasses, Skoda says that participants focused on the display quickly, even from far distances. Before using the larger "mask," the company trialed a smaller screen, but that was less successful than what we see here.

As mentioned, the display doesn't just help pedestrians. The company notes that it can display all sorts of important information, helping other road users in the process.