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Ford has designed a side mirror that offers a view of what is in front of a car. Well, not the mirror itself, but the LIDAR hidden in its housing.
A patent application for which CNET reported for the first time, reveals the concept that could be found on the autonomous vehicles that Ford plans to introduce as early as 2021.
Until now, Ford auto test cars, like many automakers, have been equipped with unsightly and non-aerodynamic sensor arrays, including LIDAR chips, which emit invisible laser beams to create 3D images of their environment.
The patent describes the range of vision of the pair of LIDARs to cover the sides and the front of the car, but does not indicate where rear-facing equipment would be installed. The case has also been constructed with materials that reduce electromagnetic interference.
And while it may seem redundant to have mirrors on a standalone car that does not really need them, they are required by current regulations and would allow the driver to take manual control.
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