The applied technology that makes Pedestrian Monitoring possible is a small radar, a narrow square a few inches on each side that discreetly fits behind the Volkswagen emblem on the front of the vehicle. Able to work in daylight or darkness, the radar sweeps points located in an area within about 35 degrees and up to about 400 feet ahead of the vehicle hundreds of times per minute. The system then analyzes the data from the radar for the specific “signature” of pedestrians that are about to cross in front of the vehicle or walking away from the vehicle inside the vehicle’s path.

If the car is traveling at a speed between about 4 and 18.6 mph, and the Pedestrian Monitoring detects movement in front of the vehicle, the system applies automatic braking to slow or stop itself to help avoid a collision, using a precise amount of braking force. At speeds between 18.6 and 40 mph, the Pedestrian Monitoring system sends both audible and visual alerts to the driver – and if the driver does not respond, then automatic braking engages. The system does not operate at speeds above 40 mph.

It is important to note that Pedestrian Monitoring may not work in all conditions and environments, for example when the radar sensor’s vision is blocked by dirt or snow; it can only function within the laws of physics But the radar technology can offer improved awareness of pedestrians in fog or harsh sun glare where a driver’s vision might be hindered.

Currently, Front Assist with Pedestrian Monitoring is available on all 2019 Volkswagen models except the Beetle, Jetta and Passat; it’s standard on the Arteon, Atlas, Golf, Golf R and Golf Alltrack and included on all but the base trim levels of other models. By 2022, Front Assist and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) are expected to be standard on nearly all Volkswagen models – an important step toward accident prevention.

In this first video you can see how the basic FRONT ASSIST technology works when dealing with vehicular traffic:

And here is a video illustrating how Pedestrian-specific testing will be done for manufacturers in Europe by a governing body known as Euro NCAP.

“Euro NCAP is introducing a new test that will check how well vehicles autonomously detect and prevent collisions with pedestrians. With new vehicles offering more autonomous driver assist systems, Euro NCAP’s Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) Pedestrian tests will make it simpler for consumers and manufacturers to find out which systems work best. Euro NCAP will test vehicles’ response to pedestrians in simulations of the three most common urban scenarios: adults walking and running into the vehicle’s path and a child stepping out from behind a parked car.”

In the video, you can see how the Volkswagen system performs better than most and never comes close to hitting either of the “walking” dummies used to replicate pedestrian traffic – even the child-sized one that steps suddenly from out behind parked cars.

Stay tuned to these pages for more information on Volkswagens’ breaking technologies and innovative safety systems.