Lotus announces Safe and Sound hybrid demonstrator

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For the past two decades, Lotus has been working on active noise cancellation technology to make cars quieter. While that may have been a good thing on internal combustion cars, the spread of hybrid and electric cars has made advocates for the blind concerned. Electrically driven cars tend to be almost silent at lower speeds meaning that visually impaired pedestrians who rely more on audio inputs to know what is going around them have a problem. Lotus is now taking its technology and turning it around on a Toyota Prius demonstrator. Instead of using internal speakers to generate opposite sound waves to cancel noise, Lotus is mounting speakers externally with a controller tied to the accelerator pedal. The system generates simulated engine sounds that will allow people in the vicinity hear the car approach. Lotus is working with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association to develop the system. The press release is after the jump. You can also view videos of the demonstrator at the Lotus web-site.

Gallery: Lotus Safe and Sound Hybrid demonstrator