Continental’s Road Condition Observer Concept Could Prevent Aquaplaning

Aquaplaning is a phenomenon which even the best of the best drivers cannot predict and take remedied steps against. It happens when the front tyres of the car lose grip with the road as they start riding on a layer of water, which leads to a complete loss of control as braking and steering inputs fail to work and thereby increases the potential for serious accidents. Automotive technology developer and manufacturer, Continental, is working on a safety system which could detect potential aquaplaning situations and warn drivers or autonomous systems of the same and consequently prevent accidents.

The Continental Road Condition Observer Concept is currently under development and uses an array of cameras, tyre sensors and a custom software to predict if the road conditions could provoke the car to aquaplane. The software reads the splash and spray patterns from the tyres using cameras mounted on the mirrors and the boot to analyse if they are displacing water as they are designed to. The system detects when these patterns change and indicate the possibility of aquaplaning.

Tyre-mounted eTIS (electronic tyre information system) sensors are also used to help detect potential chances of aquaplaning. These sensors, mounted on the inner lining of the tyres, send accelerometer readings and tread depth information to the system software. The change in acceleration as the characteristic ‘wedge’ begins to appear in front of the tyre at the onset of aquaplaning triggers a warning.

For now, Continental’s system can only warn drivers of potential aquaplaning situations. The company is looking at making the system more robust with features like active speed recommendation, sending warnings to other road users via V2X or eHorizon technologies and, at an advanced stage, being able to intervene before or during an aquaplaning incident by controlling the rear brakes. In the future, data from the Road Condition Observer could also be used to make a real-time virtual map of road conditions, saving countless people from experiencing terrible accidents. The virtual map can also be used to detect sections of roads which can be improved to prevent such incidents.

For now, it is recommended that drivers be aware of the tread depth on their tyres, taking care not to let go below the 3mm mark, and take it slow when driving on wet roads.