If Oshkosh Corp. has its way, military trucks will soon feature driver-assist safety systems similar to those found on commercial vehicles, from the BWM X5 to the Ford Focus.
Just a bigger, more intense system.
The Oshkosh, Wisconsin-based truck-maker on Monday unveiled the Oshkosh Surround View and Forward Collision Warning Systems on a version of its blast-resistant truck, known as the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle, or M-ATV — a hulking, 25,000-pound vehicle built to better protect troops from roadside bombs in Afghanistan.
“Troop safety is the highest concern regardless of the military duty performed,” John Urias, president of the company’s defense unit, said in a statement. “Reducing vehicle accidents large and small translates into a more productive force and significant cost savings for the Department of Defense.”
The driver-assist technology, introduced at the annual Association of the United States Army conference in Washington, D.C., includes several cameras mounted on the top and rear of the vehicle, two electronic displays inside the cab, a flashing warning-light beneath the windshield and — as if the blinking lightsaber-like beam on the front glass wasn’t enough — a vibration device beneath the seat.
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John Beck, a chief engineer at Oshkosh who helped develop the company’s TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle, said the forward-collision warning system uses a special type of camera that incorporates a computer processor running software designed to detect people, animals and other obstacles in the roadway or path.
He declined to specify the supplier of the product, but said it’s used by many companies in the automotive industry.
For the surround-view system, drivers can press a button on the center console to toggle between cameras. (This reporter couldn’t resist clicking to check out the view from behind the truck — a nice shot of the trade show floor). The entire system can be expanded to accommodate more cameras and functionality, he said.
