[Efthreeoh]

So I got to thinking on my drive home tonight; why doesn't BMW develop an animal detection system? I think the technology is here. They've developed a pedestrian detection system for the F10 and from what I read of it, it's limited in its effectiveness. But it just seems to need a better sensor suite and help from a database. The new F30 has all-around cameras now, why can't there be some decent high-mounted IR cameras too? And with a nav system the car always knows where it is. Why not tap into insurance/police databases that track deer/animal strikes. This would allow the car to be more aware in locations where there are a high number of deer/animal strikes. Also, the car knows what time of day and what time of year it is when deer/animal strikes are likely to occur, so all of that data could be fused into a database to make the system smart.

I'd gladly pay $2,500 for this option rather than, say, heated seats and a heated steering wheel; or a seat that cools your ass.

Just a thought.

[MisterSkiMask]

Why not just watch where you are going?

I don't think it would be effective, by the time the system identified something it would be to late. Why won't the pedestrian system see animals?

[Mahzari]

Because humans, generally, look the exact same. Two eyes, a nose, arms, legs, a body.

What you're asking for is a system that has a copy of EVERY animal (from squirrel to giraffe) and a way to compare EVERY object on your screen to EVERY animal in all of the animal kingdom within a split-second to warm you that it's an animal.

If they had this system, half of the time it would tell you that a tree branch was an animal.

[ptack]

This might be cheaper.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by MisterSkiMask

Why not just watch where you are going?

I don't think it would be effective, by the time the system identified something it would be to late. Why won't the pedestrian system see animals?

The F10 owners manual shows pictures of the system, which have images of animals, but states the system does not warn the driver of animals in the path of the car. Which I think tells you something about why they haven't offered the system.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Mahzari

Because humans, generally, look the exact same. Two eyes, a nose, arms, legs, a body.

What you're asking for is a system that has a copy of EVERY animal (from squirrel to giraffe) and a way to compare EVERY object on your screen to EVERY animal in all of the animal kingdom within a split-second to warm you that it's an animal.

If they had this system, half of the time it would tell you that a tree branch was an animal.

Well not really. The system shouldn't care about small rodents since they pose no threat to damage of the car or driver safety (such as a moose coming through the windshield). Second, the system only needs to detect a large animal that can damage the car or pose a threat to the driver and passengers in the car. It doesn't need to specifically recognize EVERY animal. For instance, if you are driving in Pittsburg, the system doesn't need to have an image of a giraffe stored in memory since giraffes don't live in Pennsylvania, or generally are roaming free across the countryside of Pittsburg....

And it wouldn't detect a tree branch as an animal since it is looking for heat signature. Trees do not internally generate heat like humans or animals do.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by MisterSkiMask

Why not just watch where you are going?

I don't think it would be effective, by the time the system identified something it would be to late. Why won't the pedestrian system see animals?

I guess you’ve never hit a deer then.

That's the point, I very diligently watch were I'm going. I drive a lot of miles in rural areas where there are (mostly) deer present, along with bear, and the occasional cow or horse. I watch so diligently that I sometimes don’t enjoy the drive (which is one of the reasons to own a BMW – drive fast on back country roads). Cows generally are not a problem because they move pretty slowly. Bears are really bad because where I live there are black bears, which are almost impossible to see at night even with HIDs. Deer are the worst.

The system I envision is really for detecting the fast moving animas such as deer that are in the woods along the side of the road and are on the move towards the path of the car. Those are the deer that pop out of the brush on you at the last second because they are spooked by something and get into the path of the car and are unavoidable. The system should be able to detect a deer running through the woods several hundred yards from the road that are head towards the path of the car. The system should alert the driver of the threat so he can slow down and increase his sense of awareness that an animal could jump out into the path of the car. Coming upon deer that are static objects on the side of the road are usually avoidable; unless they are around a corner.

[Biff Grissel]

i live in northern california and drive back country roads late at night all the time, so i know exactly what ur talking about. u can drive as defensivly as humanly possible and a deer will literrally run out into the road and in front of you from the dark woods, ive even seen a deer run into the side of moving car, they are unpredictable, fast, abundant and dumber than shit...thats a prety bad combo for any animal, much less one that can do this much damage to an unsuspecting driver, I think ur on to something here it sounds very easy with all the technology they have in theese cars theese days. u should look further into this idea, seems genius and an absolute must have if u live in our areas.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Biff Grissel

i live in northern california and drive back country roads late at night all the time, so i know exactly what ur talking about. u can drive as defensivly as humanly possible and a deer will literrally run out into the road and in front of you from the dark woods, ive even seen a deer run into the side of moving car, they are unpredictable, fast, abundant and dumber than shit...thats a prety bad combo for any animal, much less one that can do this much damage to an unsuspecting driver, I think ur on to something here it sounds very easy with all the technology they have in theese cars theese days. u should look further into this idea, seems genius and an absolute must have if u live in our areas.

Thanks. I also ride a motorcycle, where I system like this would be truly a life saver. I work for a company that could develop it. I may throw the idea at the execs. Propably one reason car manufacturers don't offer the system is a deer hit is a good revenue generator for repair parts; usually the only thing that dies is the deer. If you've ever driven in Maine, moose are a real problem. The issue with moose is at night; the damed things are so tall that passenger car headlights can only illuminate the legs, which are dark colored and have no mass to reflect the light back to your eyes so it's hard to see them. You hit a moose, you take out its legs and the 1,500 pound body come right into the windshield. Not fun.

[MisterSkiMask]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I guess you’ve never hit a deer then.

That's the point, I very diligently watch were I'm going. I drive a lot of miles in rural areas where there are (mostly) deer present, along with bear, and the occasional cow or horse. I watch so diligently that I sometimes don’t enjoy the drive (which is one of the reasons to own a BMW – drive fast on back country roads). Cows generally are not a problem because they move pretty slowly. Bears are really bad because where I live there are black bears, which are almost impossible to see at night even with HIDs. Deer are the worst.

The system I envision is really for detecting the fast moving animas such as deer that are in the woods along the side of the road and are on the move towards the path of the car. Those are the deer that pop out of the brush on you at the last second because they are spooked by something and get into the path of the car and are unavoidable. The system should be able to detect a deer running through the woods several hundred yards from the road that are head towards the path of the car. The system should alert the driver of the threat so he can slow down and increase his sense of awareness that an animal could jump out into the path of the car. Coming upon deer that are static objects on the side of the road are usually avoidable; unless they are around a corner.

I made my statement because I have hit a deer, and there is no system in the world that could have prevented it. I was on a heavily wooded 30 mph road and the deer came out perpendicular to me in a full run, I got her right in her side.

[Mahzari]

Originally Posted by MisterSkiMask

I made my statement because I have hit a deer, and there is no system in the world that could have prevented it. I was on a heavily wooded 30 mph road and the deer came out perpendicular to me in a full run, I got her right in her side.

Okay but if you, a human, couldn't recognize and stop the car in time, what makes you think a camera system would help?

If you're coming around a bend, then neither the camera or you can see the deer that you're approaching. If you're in a straight line, then why do you need the camera system at all?

[MisterSkiMask]

Originally Posted by Mahzari

Okay but if you, a human, couldn't recognize and stop the car in time, what makes you think a camera system would help?

If you're coming around a bend, then neither the camera or you can see the deer that you're approaching. If you're in a straight line, then why do you need the camera system at all?

You've got the wrong guy, I have said that no camera system would/could help.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by MisterSkiMask

I made my statement because I have hit a deer, and there is no system in the world that could have prevented it. I was on a heavily wooded 30 mph road and the deer came out perpendicular to me in a full run, I got her right in her side.

That's exactly the situation I envision the system helping to prevent. In your situation (and that was mine as well - 3 times) if the system could have notified you there was a deer in the woods on the side of the road moving towards the path that your car was headed, you could have slowed enough to let the deer pass in front of you. The technology exists today that the car knows the direction of travel because it knows what road you are on, it knows how fast you are traveling and if it had a sensor that could determine the path the deer was on it could easily predict when the two paths would meet and allow you to take evasive action. That was the system would be for, seeing the deer you can't see and knowing which way the deer is headed. If it detects a deer in the woods but the deer is running away from the path of the car, it ignores the deer and does not notify the driver.

[Mahzari]

Originally Posted by MisterSkiMask

You've got the wrong guy, I have said that no camera system would/could help.

Sorry I quoted the wrong person. But I agree with you, either the deer's in the road (and you can see it) or it's not in the road and the camera can't spot it.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Mahzari

Okay but if you, a human, couldn't recognize and stop the car in time, what makes you think a camera system would help?

If you're coming around a bend, then neither the camera or you can see the deer that you're approaching. If you're in a straight line, then why do you need the camera system at all?

Because the camera sees in a different light spectrum called infrared, so it detects the heat signature of the deer, not the reflected visible light signature of the deer, which is what you only see. The camera looks off to the sides of the road, through the brush to locate deer that may run into the road.

[Mahzari]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Because the camera sees in a different light spectrum called infrared, so it detects the heat signature of the deer, not the reflected visible light signature of the deer, which is what you only see. The camera looks off to the sides of the road, through the brush to locate deer that may run into the road.

So it's going to alert you of 100 deer, 1 of which might run into the road?

You'll be slowing down every 50 yards.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Mahzari

So it's going to alert you of 100 deer, 1 of which might run into the road?

You'll be slowing down every 50 yards.

Read post 13....

[Seminole]

And this is why cars weigh so much today...