So I will build a system that can detect a human in a truck driver’s dead spot. But what should be done with the information that is sent out by this system. The first thing one can think of, is sounding an alarm. But the driver may be used to an alarm that is already sounding way to much. Also for an audible alarm it may be not immediatly clear where it is coming from. Is a truck driver – or actually any human – capable of processing all the signals a driver has to process? If a human is spotted in the dead spot and the truck detects it is steered towards that human, it is technically possible to automatically brake, thus possibly preventing a deadly accident. But does society want trucks, or cars, with a mind of their own? There may be a future in which people look back in fear to the time when trucks where driven by humans.
What method do you propose in your thesis to be used? An alarm or automatic breaking? And isn’t automatic breaking a little dangerous as long as the truck doesn’t process all the other traffic and parameters around it?
The road code provides laws which should make it always safe to step on the brakes. The most evident rules are those that oblige to keep a safe distance. In real life however, those rules are very often ignored. Keeping that in mind, there are already systems that automatically brake [1], even when the truck is driving fast. In situations where the blind spot is dangerous, the truck is generally driving very slow. The truck is driving slow to make a tight turn. Under these slow speeds it seems harmless to stop completely.
[1]http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=DMF20101228_039
[1]http://media.daimler.com/dcmedia/0-921-657345-1-1313380-1-0-0-0-0-1-11701-614240-0-1-0-0-0-0-0.html
Research on stereo sequences is a current hot subjects at many research centers of car companies worldwide, and also at academic institutions. See the .enpeda.. project, http://www.citr.auckland.ac.nz/projects/research/, for example. Driver assistance based on computer vision is starting to impact safety and performance features of modern cars. Research tasks are manyfold, and will define a vivid area of research for the next couple of years. Hope this will be interesting for your thesis. I found also interesting pdf file in this subject following the link below .
Click to access MItech-TR-9.pdf