Autotalks, a specialist in V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication chipsets, and Israeli startup Griiip have demonstrated the world’s first motorsport vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) application on a racetrack.
As part of the demonstration, which took place on March 15, 2018, at a new motorsport park in Be’er Sheva, Israel, Griiip equipped all its G1 race cars on the track with Autotalks’ V2X solution, based on the CRATON2 chipset. According to the companies, the new motorsport V2V solution is set to eliminate a significant number of race car accidents and casualties in professional and amateur racing.
The solution understands when a race car seriously endangers the safety of other drivers – for example when a driver loses control of the car and stops in a dangerous place on the track or when a car slows down unexpectedly. In such scenarios, an alert is immediately sent to all drivers approaching the danger, to prevent a crash. The alert involves flashing yellow lights and a buzzer sound which increases in intensity as the car gets closer to the danger area. By providing an instant, clear warning, rather than waiting for the yellow flag, horrific on-track accidents can be avoided, according to the two companies.
“The fact that Autotalks and Griiip have been the first to successfully demonstrate a motorsport V2V solution on a racetrack is not a coincidence”, said Hagai Zyss, CEO of Autotalks. “The demonstration is not only a testament to our commitment to saving lives through effective V2V technology, it also shows that our technology is robust enough to meet the extremely demanding and high-speed environment of racing, where accidents are so frequent. We intend to keep demonstrating life-saving V2V implementations in as many environments as possible”.
Griiip CEO Tamir Plachinsky added, “Griiip acts as a development platform and gateway for new technologies into the world of motorsport, aiming to improve its every aspect, while keeping safety in top priority. Using Autotalks’ technology, we are able to provide the G1 drivers with immediate and accurate warnings, keeping them safer on the track”.
