Land Rovers are sturdy vehicles. They can go anywhere and can tow a whole load of stuff. Naturally, this makes them perfect SUVs to hitch trailers and caravans onto. But, with a trailer attached, your rear visibility is suddenly compromised, virtually down to zero. That big lumbering hulk at the back obstructs your rear view mirror from seeing virtually anything at the back.
And so the Tata-owned British company has now come up with the “transparent” trailer system. Well, it isn’t really transparent-that’d be silly given today’s technology’s limitations-but, rather, it uses clever cameras to make the trailer appear invisible so the driver can see behind using the rear-view mirror, unobstructed.
Called “Cargo Sense” the system uses a remote video camera inside the trailer and a mat of pressure sensors on the floor, that both link wirelessly to the vehicle. Drivers will be able to check the status of both trailer and load remotely when away from the trailer. For example, if a horse owner is away from the trailer the system could automatically alert them via SMS if the horse is distressed, if the temperature inside has exceeded safe levels, or if the trailer is being tampered with.
There’s more. Cargo Sense’s rear cameras should make parking with a trailer more like parking normally. These even offer guidelines on the car’s screen so as to help the driver get in the space without any accidents.
There’s also an app included that you can use to monitor cargo remotely. This is ideal for the aforementioned horse box as it works with a camera and pressure sensitive mat system called Cargo Sense. If the horse gets agitated and moves about the weight sensors in the mat can alert the driver while driving, on the car screen, or while parked and away via the app. This even has temperature sensors and an internal camera so the driver can check on any precious cargo at any time from a smartphone.
Dr Wolfgang Epple, director of research and technology, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “When you are overtaking it is instinctive to check your mirrors, but if you are towing your vision is often restricted with large blind spots.
“Our Transparent Trailer project is researching how we could offer a view out of the vehicle unrestricted by your trailer, no matter what its size or shape. Our prototype system offers a very high quality video image with no distortion of other cars or obstructions. This means the driver would have exactly the right information to make safe and effective decisions when driving or manoeuvring, making towing safer and less stressful.”
Cargo Sense is in prototype stages right now but will be shown off by Land Rover at a demonstration at the Burghley Horse Trials which runs 3-6 September. We are sure many will come up with more innovative uses for this technology once it reaches the consumer.
