Pedestrians in your grille
Let’s be honest: the ‘grille’ of an electric Skoda Enyaq only serves an aesthetic purpose. Except for this blue one, where that huge box is used to communicate with crossing pedestrians.
The Skoda Enyaq in question has been equipped by Skoda as an experiment with a field of LEDs that can be switched on and off individually. They create the possibility to project images and symbols. It is somewhat comparable to what a (pedestrian) traffic light does, albeit more extensively. Anyone who allows pedestrians to cross in this Enyaq can show through their nose that those people can cross. When the car starts moving again, bright red symbols make it clear that it is precisely not smart to cross the road.
The illuminated grille does not stand alone. Skoda is also showing a special crossing robot in collaboration with the Technical University of Prague. It is about 2 meters high and can make it clear to both pedestrians and motorists by means of light signals that it is possible to cross. The ‘IPA2X’ also communicates with the car, which can warn the driver via the screen.
Both inventions are of course not yet ready for production, but according to Skoda they will be tested in practice. This is happening in Italy and Slovenia, in areas where there are many children or, conversely, many elderly people. According to the project manager, the robot could actually be deployed in 2025. Unfortunately, the story does not mention how that is with the ‘grille’.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl