What comes to mind when you think about radar systems? Do you immediately think of submarines or planes? What about cars?

Today, radar systems are increasingly available for private vehicles. Once upon a time, radar systems were only seen in movies or used by the military but nowadays, they can be found in our cars, helping to reduce accidents and improve safety.

Christoph Hammerschmidt over on the EE Times website is reporting that the demand for radar sensor chips has increased dramatically in recent years thanks to the adoption of the technology in consumer cars. Radar chips can alert the driver to vehicles in their blind spot and to incoming obstacles so that they are more aware of their surroundings. It can even activate the breaks in an emergency to avoid a collision. They are becoming so common in cars that the radar chip manufacturer, Infineon, predicts that up to 10 million chips could be used in private vehicles within the next year alone.

Microsynthesis has worked with radar technology, creating a radar simulator that you can read about here. The technology is largely used for safety purposes, assisting in safe reversing and as a way of looking out for hidden obstacles.

Market research firm, Strategy Analytics thinks that in the next few years, automatic breaking systems could be present in many consumer cars and this could help reduce accidents on the road. This means that if you are driving fast towards an obstacle, your car could automatically brake for you to ensure that you avoid the obstacle.

Maybe the next car you drive might include its own radar chip scanning the road to keep you safe…