Audi Traffic Light Recognition Tells Drivers When Light is About to Change

Remember the last time you had to get stuck behind an obvious person who didn’t notice the light just changed? We’ve all been through it, which is why Audi came up with a technological solution.

A new system has been invented for cars and tells the driver when a light is about to change. This means very soon it will be cars paying more attention to their surroundings than to the drivers.

Known as the Audi Online Traffic Light Recognition System, it can also save fuel as well as the annoyance that many drivers come across. The system works by reading automated signals from a city’s central traffic computer and transmitting that information to the driver; through the car’s driver information display.

Audi believes this technology can save important quantities of fuel in city driving; where the constant start-and-stop nature of traffic can hurt mpg. It can also help maintain the smooth flow of traffic, which will definitely make everyone’s morning more pleasant due to easier travel. Not only that! It can also sense if a car is about to make it through a green light and if not, it then advises the driver to start braking early; avoiding unexpected stops.

When the lights on red, the system can count down the time remaining until it changes to green, as well as prime an engine start-stop system to restart the engine five seconds before that.

Currently, Audi is testing traffic light recognition in Berlin, Verona and Las Vegas. Audi say the system is production ready and just pending government approval.