Active vehicle safety company 4activeSystems has begun testing a system to help prevent roadkill.
The company has developed animal targets, known as 4activeAN dummies, as part of a long-term research project to create a variety of realistic animal targets (roe deer, white-tail deer, moose, wild boar, etc). Each target is extremely lightweight with a soft structure to prevent damage to the VUT. Depicting the animals’ physical attributes is intended to create a more efficient ADAS testing solution. Different options, such as additional synchronized articulation, or heated versions for thermal cameras, are available for testing. This solution can also be combined with 4activeSB or the driverless robotic platform 4activeFB-small.
Fraser Shilling, director of the UC Davis Road Ecology Center at the University of California Davis, said, “We estimate that in about 50% of collisions with animals, the cars cannot be driven away. Moreover, accidents with large animals such as roe deer are notably the most dangerous for occupants of the car. Due to the nature of the deer and the circumstances of the accident, passive safety systems such as airbags do not protect occupants when the deer comes through the windshield. Statistics from all over the world clearly show that the local form of deer/elk represent the highest number of reported animal-vehicle crashes. In addition, central Europe also has a vast number of incidents with wild boar.”