Sensor-based pedestrian protection

Pedestrian accidents represent the second-largest source of traffic-related injuries and fatalities, after accidents involving car passengers. Children are especially at risk. A complementary approach to accident prevention is to focus on sensor-based solutions, which let vehicles "look ahead" and detect pedestrians in their surroundings. The article investigates the state of the art in this domain, reviewing passive, video based approaches and approaches involving active sensors (radar and laser range finders).