Samsung Safety Truck Revolutionising HGV Safety

Yet more collaborative work between manufacturers Volvo and technologists.  This time its Samsung Electronics Argentina who has unveiled to the public the first Samsung Safety Truck, a technology for trucks which seeks to prevent road accidents in overtaking situations on roads.

Argentina’s statistics on traffic accidents are among the highest in the world, with most of these accidents occurring on two-lane roads and particularly in situations of dangerous overtaking on large vehicles: even though the truck is driving relatively slowly, you cannot overtake it due to its size, and because you cannot see what is happening in front of the truck.  With this in mind, Samsung developed a technology for trucks that seeks to save lives and help improve road safety.

How Does it Work?

The Samsung Safety Truck consists of two built-in front cameras attached to the front of the truck, which is connected to a video wall made out of four exterior monitors located on the back of the truck. The monitors give drivers behind the truck a view of what is going on ahead, even in the dark of night, hence enabling trailing vehicles to evaluate more accurately their passing potential and make more informed driving decisions on whether or not it is safe to overtake.

Called the OverView Seamless Videowall (OSV), the rear-facing displays are dustproof and waterproof and certified by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) against environmental conditions, “ensuring a clear picture regardless of the road or weather,” Samsung said in a statement. The OSV displays are the same kind sold by Samsung and used for outdoor signs.

Samsung has built the prototype using a Volvo trailer:

“Safety is a basic principle in any project of Volvo Trucks and it’s what keeps the group active in their effort to develop innovative technologies that completely eliminate the risk of accidents. Under this premise, Volvo Trucks Argentina wanted to participate in the Samsung Safety Truck project to further promote reflections on a more secure future for both the truck driver and everyone else,” said Valere Lourme, Manager of Marketing and Communications at Volvo Trucks.