Ford Motor Company refuses to be left behind in the race to the top of the cameras-per-vehicle heap: The company announced that the next generation of F-250 and F350 Super Duty trucks will come equipped with up to seven cameras. That’s more lenses than some small-budget movie productions.
-At Further With Ford, the Blue Oval’s annual technology symposium, the automaker announced that the new-for-2017 F-series Super Duty will feature “Ford’s most advanced camera tech yet.” Packing up to seven cameras around the perimeter of the heavy hauler (the number is likely dependent on trim and/on options), along with a revamped software system, the setup will let the driver see “more angles around a truck and trailer than ever before, helping customers better maneuver alone and in tight spots.”
-For reference, the current Ford F-150 carries a paltry five cameras at max: Nose and tail cameras for parking, mirror-mounted cams for side views, and a fifth used for lane-keeping assist that doesn’t broadcast to the dashboard touch screen. The rear camera in particular is tasked with operating Ford’s new-for-2016 Pro Trailer Backup Assist, where you aim the trailer with a dashboard-mounted steering knob and the truck autonomously whirls the steering wheel accordingly.
-Cameras are a big part of Ford’s current and near-future tech plans. The company’s split-view camera system, which displays a 180-degree view of what’s in front of or behind the vehicle, allows the driver to peer around corners with the push of a button. The system, which turns off at speeds above 6 mph, is currently available on the front of the 2015 Ford Edge, with front and rear split-view coming to the nearly here 2016 Ford Explorer. All split-view-equipped Fords get a front camera washer that sprays the lens clean with the jittery roboticism of a Wall-E bit character.
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- Hands Off! The 2016 Ford F-150 Can Back Up a Trailer For You [w/ Video]
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- 2017 Ford Super Duty Spy Photos: Touched By the Aluminati
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- Ford F-150 Full Coverage: News, Photos, Specs, Reviews, and More
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Ford brags that it will bring backup cameras to all U.S. models by 2018—which is when the federal mandate requiring them kicks in—and promises front cameras on “a majority of its vehicles globally” by 2020.
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from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/1eHHCYA
via Agya
