Honda will introduce the world’s first predictive cruise control system on the recently-facelifted European market CR-V SUV. Known as Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (i-ACC), the technology is capable of “foreseeing and automatically reacting to other vehicles ‘cutting-in’ to the equipped vehicle’s lane,” Honda explains.
The automaker has developed i-ACC based on extensive real-world research of typical European driving styles. The system uses a camera and radar to detect the position of other vehicles on the road. It then applies an algorithm to predict the probability of vehicles in neighboring lanes cutting-in by evaluating relations between multiple vehicles, thus enabling the equipped vehicle “to react quickly, safely and comfortably.”
Building upon the traditional Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system, the technology will debut this year on new European CR-V models in Executive grade only. Honda says the new i-ACC system is able to compute the likelihood of a cut-in up to five seconds before it occurs, which means it is “designed to react very smoothly so as not to startle the driver, who might not yet be aware of the imminent cut-in.”
The car initially applies just a mild brake, informing the driver why a slow-down occurs with an icon appearing on the display. i-ACC then applies a stronger brake to adapt the speed to keep a safe distance.
This is what Honda calls “predictive safety,” as the system is able to recognize the side of the road you are driving on whether in the UK or on the continent and to automatically detect which neighboring vehicle is the most critical to be aware of at any given moment.
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