Future cars to inform emergency services of traffic accidents within seven seconds

Technology uses sensors and artificial intelligence to provide authorities with detailed analyses of injuries

Car manufacturer is working on technology to inform emergency services of car accidents within seven seconds (Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images)

Cars could soon send emergency services information about injuries sustained in road traffic accidents within seven seconds of impact.

Using sensors and artificial intelligence, manufacturers hope to be able to send emergency services a detailed analysis of potential injuries, communicated through medical terms, almost instantly after a crash.

Hoping to reduce ambulance response times, Hyundai and MDGo, which specialises in medical artificial intelligence systems, are working on the project in tandem.

The technology interprets accident data and compiles numerous sets of insights regarding the occupants and the vehicle.

The South Korean car company hopes it will give emergency services the chance to assess the required scale of response and deploy appropriately skilled medical personnel before arriving at the scene of an accident.

“Through this technology, we expect a significant improvement in the emergency medical services of vehicles in the short-term, while our long-term goal is to provide innovations in passenger experience of vehicle safety utilising new technology that enable real-time physical monitoring,” said Youngcho Chi, president and chief innovation officer at the automaker.

Almost 1,800 people died in road traffic accidents in Great Britain in 2017, according to figures from the Department for Transport, with 44 percent of those killed travelling in cars.

Around 170,000 suffered injuries over the same period.

As part of the new design, big data gathered from detailed, intelligent analysis of multiple accident scenarios will inform engineers how to bolster crash structures and integrate new technologies to overcome issues identified by the artificial intelligence (AI) analysis.

The AI system continually learns and refines its interpretation of different accident scenarios.

This process of “iterative enhancement” is facilitated by hospitals inputting real data on patients’ injuries, which the system compares to its prediction to further refine its analysis.

Earlier this year, Hyundai unveiled its “Elevate” concept, the first-ever vehicle with moveable legs, designed to allow emergency services to cross hazardous terrain to reach victims of natural disasters.

SWNS