Every year, we hear stories about kids who have been left in cars while it’s parked outside. Sometimes these kids are lucky where passersby see them and get help, but sometimes it’s tragic and the kids die as a result of being stuck in a hot car. There are many reasons for this happening in the first place.
One of those reasons is that maybe parents completely forget that their kids are in the backseat, and this is a tragedy that Tesla is hoping to avoid. The company has filed a request for permission with the FCC to use short-range motion sensing radars that will be able to detect if kids are in the car, thus alerting the driver and reminding them.
While there have been systems designed in the past that use cameras, Tesla believes that radars might be better because unlike cameras, these radars can see through soft materials like blankets. It can also be used to detect breathing and heart rates, which could be a better indication of someone being in the car that is left unattended.
The technology won’t be limited to just kids. It could also be used to make airbags deploy more optimally during an accident, or it could also be used for more accurate seatbelt reminders. As the radar would be able to scan the exterior of the car, other potential uses include a more advanced theft prevention system.