March 19, 2008
Tech Startup Unveils Vehicle Anti-Collision Radar
TROY, MI –Radar Safety Technologies LLC announced the FrontAlert Collision Alert System,
the company’s first product, during a news conference at Troy-based Automation
Alley.
The eight-person company, formed in 2006, plans a formal introduction of
the product at a trucking industry convention in Louisville, Ky.,
later this month. The Troy technology startup
said it will introduce a forward-looking radar safety system for the commercial
truck market that will enable drivers to discern between potentially
life-threatening hazards and non-hazards, according to http://blog.mlive.com.
The new
product combines a small, bumper-mounted, 77 GHz radar with a range of 250 feet
and an LCD display that would mount to a windshield or dashboard. The display
alerts the driver of potential hazards via a yellow light and with a red light
and tone when there is a hazard that warrants evasive action.
The
company said the device can detect objects that are moving slower than or at
the same speed as its vehicle, and can alert drivers when it detects objects
that are stopped or are headed directly for it. The product will compete
against a similar radar-based safety system from Eaton Corp., and Troy-based
ArvinMeritor Inc. also plans to launch a radar-based adaptive cruise control
truck product during the third quarter.
The
product will go on sale through trucking fleet aftermarket channels during the
second quarter with a sticker price of $2,000.