Excuse Me, Your Car Is Ringing

September 10, 2009

An Associated Press story says that the Japanese government has set up a panel with automakers to study the idea of adding sound to hybrid vehicles to make them noisier — and therefore, safer – for blind pedestrians. Proposed sounds include artificial engine noises, music, or even ring tones, like those used in cell phones.

The AP story said that the government set up the panel in response to concerns from The Japan Federation of the Blind. An informal survey of 52 blind people carried out by the group revealed that more than half the respondents were “terrified” of hybrids.

A Japanese newspaper reported Tuesday that the sounds may be available on Toyota cars sold in 2010, possibly in conjunction with radar technology to sense nearby pedestrians and activate the noise when necessary.

Posted by Captain Hybrid on September 10, 2009 | Comments (7)

September 16, 2009

In response to: Excuse Me, Your Car Is Ringing
zpgfs commented:

That’s what car horns are for. Beep beep.

September 16, 2009

In response to: Excuse Me, Your Car Is Ringing
sounman commented:

how about we put a sonic wave repulser on each car then they will not be able to hit anything at all

September 15, 2009

In response to: Excuse Me, Your Car Is Ringing
Cakey commented:

I like the sound my 5.0 Mustang makes. You greenies make me sick.

September 15, 2009

In response to: Excuse Me, Your Car Is Ringing
Larry M commented:

LarryF proposes RF emissions to alert the blind via small receivers. That merely swaps noise in the audio spectrum for noise in the RF spectrum. There must be a better idea.

September 15, 2009

In response to: Excuse Me, Your Car Is Ringing
LarryF commented:

The beauty of the hybrids is the collective noise reduction in our cities (I love our quiet Prius). But I understand the concerns of the blind. Rather than artificially create more ambient noise, how about a standardized RF or other transmissions from electric vehicles with small, free or subsidized alerting receivers distributed to the sight impaired community. Key fob-sized ought to be possible.

September 15, 2009

In response to: Excuse Me, Your Car Is Ringing
Your Car is Ringing commented:

So now worn out hybrids relegated to the junk yard will be called dead ringers?

September 14, 2009

In response to: Excuse Me, Your Car Is Ringing
JimB commented:

I’m OK with that as long my car makes the same sound as George Jetson’s car. Instead of ringtones, there will be cartones.

Design News Partner Zones

Light Matters: The Unsung Heroes of Modern Health Care
First, let's define "no-compromise." In an ideal configuration, this lamp would use a high-brightness LED (HBLED) that is built into a small, integrated package and is able to produce a large quantity of focused light, operate with a high level of reliability and generate no audible noise. Is this difficult? Yes, but it is possible.
Read More

Design Engineers' Portal for Sensing and Machine Safety
Whatever industry you're in, or whatever product you manufacture, the right sensors to automate your plant, and to improve your overall efficiency, quality and safety are a must. You'll find Banner Engineering to be an amazing resource of products, training and people with expertise.