Fraunhofer’s ‘Hearing Car’ gives drivers an extra set of ears

Bicycle bells, children playing, emergency sirens – environmental sounds give drivers vital information, which they need to make the right decisions.

Modern vehicles are insulated against external noise to meet customers’ requirements for comfort however, especially at high speeds. As a result, important sounds are often heard too late or not at all, according to researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT) in Oldenburg, Germany.

The solution? Giving cars a “sense of hearing”, according to a Fraunhofer announcement.

“On behalf of car manufacturers and suppliers, we are developing and testing new sensor technologies and algorithms for acoustic environment monitoring, source localisation, signal enhancement, and speech interaction on both test tracks and roads,” said Moritz Brandes, manager of the Hearing Car project.

Conventional vehicle sensors reach their limits when it comes to detecting sounds such as sirens, wet roads, or a punctured tyre. To tackle the issue, the IDMT team is installing its intelligent acoustic sensor systems into test vehicles. Combined with other driver assistance systems, the ‘smart acoustic system’ provides relevant information for driving manoeuvres or predictive maintenance.

The team aims to increase driver attention and prevent accidents by boosting the accuracy of recording and reproduction of ambient noises, including their location around the car. This work includes a focus on the microphone hardware itself.

The researchers are also investigating algorithms for detecting and locating traffic-related noises, to ensure that tomorrow’s vehicles are integrated even more safely into traffic flow. Microphones in truck camera arms and mirrors offer an opportunity to “expand the driver’s perception of acoustic information” when turning to help prevent accidents, the announcement said.

Driver vigilance will also be monitored using a mobile electroencephalography (EEG) sensor system, which records brain activity through electrodes placed on the head.

Fraunhofer IDMT researchers will showcase the developments at IAA Mobility 2023 in Munich, 5-8 September.

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