Can You See Through a Truck?

Very Nice!! But I would prefer it was not wireless, it is a matter of time before some bad guy will hack the system and put up a false view...

Yeah, when you see a cartoon on the screen, "be careful...wherey, wherey careful"

Wow that's really cool....but a tempting target for vandalism...

I like it, but one of those drivers that doesn't see the giant merge left or right construction site signs until the last second could run right up under the clear road image.

No video for driver viewing here in the US...It's illegal...

That's just for a screen INSIDE the cabin, otherwise you'd be banning digital billboards and business signs, and that could hurt some corporation's PROFITS.

(The 'no videos for the driver inside the cabin is serious, the talk defending corporations is satire. Like I give a cat's a-- about corporate profits.)

I for one, would be willing lay a Solarian bet on the proposal that if IHS did not reap at least a marginal profit, there would be no CR4 blog in which we could whine about all manner of things that do or do not affect us.

Thumbs up to Samsung! Thumbs down to soccer moms, with cell phone in one hand, a hot McDonald's coffee in the other hand, pudding containers to be thrown to "Little Johnny" (don't ask which hand), and the steering wheel tightly held between the knees. Yes, one more distraction should just about take of the evolutionary problem afoot there, while saving I do not know how many trees, how many million gallons of contested fresh water, no telling how many lives saved in war, since those remaining barrels of OPEC oil were not pumped, moved into the hands of evildoers, etc., etc. ad nauseum.

It is a complex world teetering on the brink of that last little bit of control parameter before the whole system goes into bifurcated or complete chaos. I say, "cry havoc, and loose the dogs of war!" But there again, I always say that, even on good days.

I wouldn't mind a little advert in the corner. Trucks advertise now. At least if you're stuck behind one of these, it is entertaining. It might be interesting if one truck is behind another so you get a picture in a picture.

Neat idea, but how could truck owners be motivated to go the expense of installing such a system. After all, it's not their problem if I want to pass their truck.

Actually, a lot of truck drivers have the courtesy to signal a following vehicle when it is safe to pass them.

Most professional drivers are courteous. However, there was one that cut me off, so I called the number on the "Comments on my driving?" sign on the back. The recording said "Yah, so you got cut off...Shut up, you dam crybaby"!

Very cool use of technology.

I think your right Fredski. If these are sunlight readable displays, they are not cheap.

Seems the camera should be mounted as high as possible to improve long range vision.

Fitting out just one truck probably not only saves lives, but the total cost of a bad accident, especially with lives lost, will actually probably be many times that of fitting out a fleet of trucks......

Has anyone actually found out the true cost of such an installation? I am guessing only, but I would expect true cost to be under $10,000 per truck, that is cheap advertising and "squeaky clean" a good investment for Samsung!!

4 large screen TVs (no need to be 3D compatible!), a video camera, some signal processing to spread the picture and a video link....

It could even be used world wide.......we still have here plenty of roads of that type even today....though Germany will probably want to test it for 10 years before allowing it!!!!

In much of Germany the roads are FILLED with trucks, kilometers long, unbroken lines of trucks. Now, if the camera from the last truck views the display of the truck in front, and that truck's display is of the truck in front of him, on and on, the car driver who wants to pass will be seeing several kilometers up ahead to where there may actually be a space to pass... thinking it is actually a space in front of the truck he is behind. OOOPS!

LOL!!

A drunk might not notice that its the rear of another truck, but then he should not be behind the wheel anyway!!!

Nested truck rears where all trucks have Samsung TV on the back provide an allusion to an M.C. Escher illusion.

Or maybe it only looks like a trick with barber mirrors. I can easily see some moron hacking with this to create the following: The illusion of a slow motion head-on collision (with the same car), by placing camera and screen on back of 18-wheeler, and as the drunk driver approaches the rear of the truck trailer, he sees his own car slowly approaching a head-on collision with the car he is driving!!!

"Fitting out just one truck probably not only saves lives, but the total cost of a bad accident, especially with lives lost, will actually probably be many times that of fitting out a fleet of trucks......"

So the ROI may be too low in the US, but in Argentina, where, as they stated on the video, traffic deaths average one AN HOUR, the ROI is a bit different.

Plus it's great PR for Samsung, "Look at us, we're spending money on YOUR safety, doesn't that make you like us better? Aren't you going to remember this when it comes time for a new TV and you're trying to decide between us and Sony? Sony trucks don't have this safety feature, didn't you end up losing a fifth uncle thrice removed because he was trying to pass a Sony truck?"

In the United States there are about four traffic deaths per hour, but there are no statistics regarding how many are from passing other vehicles.

And since this country is generally pretty good about upgrading two-lane highways that receive moderate or higher traffic to 4 lane highways, the chances for the Argentianean-style 'only one way to pass this truck - oops, oncoming truck in the only other lane on this road' collisions are rare.

Back in the mid 80's, there was a 'car combat' board game that was popular in my school, one of the rules about collisions, which was used often in car-truck collisions was the 'confetti rule:' If the damage delivered to a vehicle from a collision was equal or greater than the vehicles weight in pounds, do not roll for damage allocation or armor penetration. Remove the affected counter and sprinkle a handful of Debris and Obstacle counters over the map from a point about twelve inches above the spot where the vehicle used to be.' It was a bit of 'Hollywood physics' exaggeration, but it impressed on us the fact that head-on collisions between cars and semis at highway speeds (the only way to get that much damage from a crash, in the game) was Seriously Bad News. It also made us realize why almost every 4+ lane highway either had a wide median strip shaped like a truck-catching ditch, or else Jersey Barrier-styled walls anchored in place between the opposing lanes.

What happened to patience? Yet another virtue is disappearing.

Here in Florida, about twice a year we have love bugs. For those who are not familiar with them. They are non-biting flying insects that spend their lives attached to their mate. They are essentially harmless by themselves, but a bunch of them can be quite annoying if you happen to run into them with your car (or helmet). Some years it's so bad, the cars and trucks get plastered with them when driving down the highway. So the driver would need to be diligent in keeping the camera lens clean.

I do miss Florida....... Not.

Despite the bugs and humidity, I still love FL.

In spring, in Duluth/Superior, we drove through clouds of mayflies, slipping and sliding on the bridges. I believe the insects were introduced by local body shops.

Happy motorcyclist

Damn cool idea!

Great Idea. Since Samsung makes the displays, I doubt the expensive part. What's the price of a human life?

That depends upon where it is. When the American attorneys invaded India after the Bhopal disaster, they were astonished to learn that a human life was worth about twelve dollars.

"When the American attorneys invaded India after the Bhopal disaster, they were astonished to learn that a human life was worth about twelve dollars."

For the attorneys' sake (I can't believe I just said that) don't send them to China, the shock may be more than their hearts can bear.

thinking about it...I really like being the 2nd car back. normally when the 1st car pulls out from behind the truck you're now blind and have to sneak to the left to peek and get an idea how far the first car got next to the truck or did it complete the pass before you can ease out, this way you watch in real time and pulling out is less dangerous for a moment or two

@ $7600 a piece for a screen you're looking at 30K + install/truck so a fleet of 25 trucks 750K

According to German authorities, a vehicle accident, resulting in a death, when absolutely everything is added up, costs around €2,000,000.....

So that system is still cheap to install.....

Of course here in Wisconsin it would be a law that at least one screen have the Packers game on.

Go Cheeseheads!!! Although I am an American through and through, and a Republic of Texas citizen through and through (most of us still accept statehood as a necessary evil), I am not a Dallas Cowboys fan, nor am I a fan of the Houston Texans Football Organizations. I might root in favor of the Cowboys, but only if they are not tripping over their equipment, or exhibiting mega-stupidity, or ultra-uber-egomania by the wide receiver lead.

How about if we let everyone travel at the same speed? There would be no need for passing. Remember the days of the 55 mile per hour speed limit? Everybody ignored it. They got radar detectors and CB radios and cruised along at 75-80 miles and hour. We would form convoys of a few trucks and several cars with everyone traveling the same speed. It felt safer that way. None of this constant jockeying for position and trying to outrun one another.

That will not work in ANY Latin country that I know of.....

A few others might have a problem as well.....

Too much Farfignugen (SP) in any country to ever allow that to take place.