Skip to main content

UK researchers developing 3D 'black box' technology for vehicles

UK-based Roke Manor Research (Roke) has developed, with the help of funding from Innovate UK, what it says is the world's first viable 3D 'black box' technology for vehicles, using a single dashboard camera.
August 10, 2016 Read time: 1 min

UK-based 496 Roke Manor Research (Roke) has developed, with the help of funding from Innovate UK, what it says is the world's first viable 3D 'black box' technology for vehicles, using a single dashboard camera.

Roke demonstrated how, by using vision processing, the captured data could be used to provide a precise 3D reconstruction following a road incident. Roke believes it is set to offer insurers, drivers and even autonomous vehicle manufacturers, independent evidence of what happened and will not just lead to safer vehicles but also help to build public trust in driverless vehicles.

According to Dr James Revell, consultant engineer at Roke, the technology uses computer vision algorithms to enable the precise position and orientation of any vehicle - car, bike, lorry or autonomous vehicle. This allows for near-perfect 3D reconstruction of any accident to be created even if the vehicle loses complete control.

Related Content

  • Autonomous vehicles, the pros and cons
    November 21, 2013
    Driver interface and human factors could provide the biggest obstacles to autonomous vehicles as Jon Masters discovers.
  • Ford developing complete virtual factory
    August 2, 2012
    Ford is developing a complete virtual factory to simulate the full assembly line production process. The company says this will enable it to improve quality and cut costs in real world manufacturing facilities by creating and analysing computer simulations of vehicle production procedures.
  • Wireless traffic data in real time
    January 31, 2012
    The effect of moving objects on the electromagnetic landscape set up by cellular telephony networks can be detected and interpreted to give real-time traffic data across large geographical areas at low cost. Here, we revisit the Celldar concept. Global economic downturn has pushed public-sector agencies, transport administrations among them, to push even harder for cost efficiencies. Unfortunately, when it comes to transport safety and efficiency the public sector often has to work up to a cost rather than
  • Ricardo and Roke Manor to collaborate on next-generation vehicle cyber security
    September 7, 2017
    International technology company Ricardo is to join forces with cyber security specialist Roke Manor Research to develop solutions that will make autonomous and connected transport robust against cyber attack. Many of today’s new vehicles are already connected over the air for telematics and maintenance, for safety systems such as eCall, by consumers using insurance-based monitoring technology, and by the many smartphone apps available to vehicle owners.