Every driver has had that moment where they are driving behind a truck and they just wish they could see around this hulking vehicle that seemingly poses a threat to everyone on the road. But, alas, you can’t. You can only be safe and operate your vehicle in a conservative manner to ensure that the massive truck in front of you doesn’t get tangled up with you.
But Samsung is trying something revolutionary, if fairly simple, to change the way trucks are viewed (or not viewed) on the road. Samsung is going to attach cameras to the front of a truck, and then send the video images the cameras capture to a bank of televisions that are mounted to the back of the truck.
What this accomplishes is it allows people who are driving behind a truck to effectively see through the vehicle, turning the truck “invisible.” This “invisible truck” will take a test run in Argentina, where truck safety is a huge issue. But it could see expanded use if the test runs are successful.
In practice, this sounds like a great idea. But in reality, could the televisions end up being more a distraction than a safety improvement? Will drivers become to fixated on the televisions to react to drastic changes in traffic? It will be interesting to see what happens during these trial runs.
Regardless, trying a new strategy to improve truck safety is welcomed. Trucks are dangerous, powerful vehicles that can severely injure people in accidents.
Source: Fortune, “The ‘Invisible’ Truck That You Can See Right Through,” Hilary Brueck, Feb. 6, 2016