美发明车载报警系统提前识别闯红灯者

MIT researchers have developed an algorithm that can "detect" drivers who're likely to drive straight across a red light - before they do so.

The monitor "watches" deceleration and distance from a light - and "guesses" which cars are likely to break the Highway Code.

Crucially, the software can provide two seconds' warning if someone else is about to shoot across a crossroads - enough time for other drivers to hit the brakes.

Jonathan How, the Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, says "smart" cars of the future may use the system to help drivers anticipate and avoid potential accidents.

The researchers tested the algorithm on data collected from an intersection in Virginia, finding that it accurately identified potential violators within a couple of seconds of reaching a red light — enough time, according to the researchers, for other drivers at an intersection to be able to react to the threat if alerted.

Compared to other efforts to model driving behavior, the MIT algorithm generated fewer false alarms, an important advantage for systems providing guidance to human drivers.

The researchers report their findings in a paper that will appear in the journal IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems.

据英国《每日邮报》12月1日报道，麻省理工学院的研究人员开发出一种运算程序，能够在司机可能闯红灯之前对其行为作出侦查判断。

这种监视器会通过灯光来“观察”车辆的减速和距离——由此“猜测”哪些车可能会违反交通规则。

关键在于，该软件会在有人试图快速穿过十字路口时发出两秒钟的警报——这样其他的司机就能有足够的时间踩下刹车。

麻省理工学院航空航天学教授乔纳森·豪说，未来的“智能”汽车很可能会采用这种系统，来帮助司机预见和避免可能发生的事故。

研究人员根据从弗吉尼亚州的一个十字路口收集的数据对这项运算程序进行了测试，结果发现，该程序能够在驾驶者到达红灯前的几秒钟内准确识别出可能违规的人——据研究人员称，这几秒足以让十字路口的其他司机在发出警报时对潜在的威胁做出反应。

相较于其他模拟驾驶行为的尝试，麻省理工学院提出的这一运算程序较少发生误报，该程序的一个重要优势还在于，它给人类驾驶者提供了指导。

研究人员已将该项成果整理成论文，将发表在《IEEE智能交通系统》杂志上。