Researchers from Germany’s Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (FhG) are developing a system of radar sensors for high traffic areas to alert drivers and self-driving vehicles of oncoming pedestrians, thereby averting potential accidents.

The radar sensors, developed as part of Fraunhofer’s High-resolution radar systems for infrastructure (HORIS) project, will reportedly be placed in high traffic areas where pedestrians, bicyclists, buses and vehicles converge — at a bus stop for instance.

A person is detected by the radar before and after they start moving. The detected position is verified by means of an optically monitored marker. Source: Fraunhofer FHR

At such busy transport hubs, the radar sensor systems would be incorporated into the local infrastructure to monitor conditions such as the speed with which a pedestrian approaches a roadway. The radar sensors are designed to take roughly 100 measurements per second and a warning is triggered if a pedestrian moves toward the road at a minimum speed. Once detected, the sensors would transmit that data to vehicles within the vicinity.

For instance, the sensors might detect a child moving quickly toward a road to catch a bus located across the street. Once detected, nearby cars would receive alerts to slow down.

So far, the radar sensor system under development in the Fraunhofer lab can detect eight people at once. A demonstration of the technology is slated for the second quarter of 2021.