Overtaking on the road requires awareness of the vehicle ahead.
Kim Yong-eun, researcher at the Korea Automotive Research Institute, forward situation
Advancing AI and LED-based technologies for rear-facing transmission


When driving on the road, overtaking may be necessary depending on the situation. However, because drivers cannot fully perceive the situation ahead of the vehicle they are overtaking, the risk of an accident arises.

Kim Yong-eun, a researcher at the AI Sensor Research Center of the Korea Automobile Research Institute, has developed an LED-based device and method that allows a leading vehicle to provide information about the situation in front of the vehicle to the vehicle behind.
In 2015, Samsung Electronics unveiled the "Samsung Safety Truck" in Argentina, featuring a front-facing wireless camera that displays the situation ahead on rear signage. This truck was named one of Time magazine's Best Inventions of the Year. The truck's high height significantly obscures the view of drivers behind, and this design addresses this issue.

Researcher Kim Yong-eun developed a technology inspired by safety trucks while also addressing their shortcomings. Installing a large display on the rear of a vehicle, like a safety truck, inevitably raises durability concerns. Various foreign objects can fly into the vehicle on the road, potentially damaging the display and leading to significant replacement costs. Additionally, it only provides information about the vehicle ahead to the rear driver and cannot provide overtaking guidance.

The new technology stems from the recent advancements in autonomous driving technology, which are integrating various sensors into vehicles. Unlike safety trucks, which simply collect and display information via cameras, radar, GPS, and other sensors can collect and synthesize data like the speed and distance of the vehicle ahead, generating guidance information that can assist the vehicle behind in overtaking.
The generated information is transmitted to the rear as text on the LED display at the rear of the vehicle. For example, it can notify the vehicle behind of information such as 'Watch out for vehicles 150m ahead, overtaking speed ×× km/h, overtaking time ×× seconds'. This technology is expected to be useful in situations where not all vehicles are capable of V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication, as it allows the driver of the vehicle behind to directly perceive the situation ahead of the vehicle ahead with their eyes.

The technology has been patented. Researcher Kim Yong-eun said, “Using this technology, even vehicles not equipped with expensive equipment such as V2X will be able to pass more safely,” and “It is also possible to use the patent to pursue new tasks related to automobile safety devices.”

More details can be found at the Technology Information Promotion Agency (TIPA) Technology Exchange Meeting, which will be held online on Tuesday, September 14th at 1:30 PM.