Saturday, April 24, 2010

Subaru introduces "New EyeSight" system



Volvo may have been one of the first car companies to bring an automatic braking system to the street, but it certainly won't be the last. Subaru just announced it's the New EyeSight – a system that uses two cameras to detect potential collision hazards and stop the vehicle if necessary. The cameras work in conjunction with something Subaru is calling pre-collision braking control. If the cameras detect an object like a pedestrian or car in the vehicle's path, an alarm will sound to alert the driver. If the driver still takes no action, the car will stop itself, potentially avoiding a collision or reducing damage from the impact.

Subaru says that the system will only stop the car if the difference in speed between the two objects is less than 18.5 mph. If the difference is any faster than that, and the New EyeSight system will simply slow the vehicle.

The company also announced a new brake assist system. When the driver applies the brakes in a panic situation, brake-assist equipped cars will add an extra boost to the brake system, hopefully stopping the vehicle before an impact.

Finally, New EyeSight equipped vehicles will also feature adaptive cruise control. Like similar systems from other manufacturers, the Subaru cars will be able to detect the speed of vehicles ahead of it in traffic, and adjust its speed accordingly when the cruise control is active. So far there's no word on how much the New EyeSight system will cost when it hits the market. Japanese customers should be able to order it on Legacy models starting next month. Full details in the press release after the jump.

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