Cadillac's Super Cruise helps defeat sleeping at the wheel.

It is not a wonder as to why we tend to be a bit overwhelmed each day, with all that is required of us on a daily basis. Does your day sound something like:
Get up early
Work out
Take care of the dog
Take care of the kids
Get everyone up and out the door
You get out the door
What did you forget?

Have your list
Have your phone, is it charged
What else?:
How many meetings do you have today
Where are they
What time are you getting home
Are you meeting up with friends/family tonight
What class/meetings do you have this week after work
What about dinner
Where will everyone be tonight

Tired yet?  What if while you are driving, your eyes get a little heavy. You know you can fight it. Power down the window, turn up the radio, chew some gum, drink some coffee. Sometimes all of that just isn't enough. The power of sleep overcomes you, and the inevitable happens.You crash. Whether anyone is hurt or not, it is a dreadful event.


The automotive world is all about the autonomous and semi-autonomous driving technology and General Motors has been working on a Super Cruise system in hopes to be ahead of its domestic competitors and cater to consumers who increasingly are looking for automated driving-assistance features.
The Super Cruise’s eye-tracking tech will enable the system to better monitor whether the driver is paying attention or not.This system is designed to work even when the driver’s head is obscured by, say, sunglasses or a ball cap. The system reads the eye socket and nose to determine whether the driver is alert and looking at the road.

Super Cruise software can detect if a driver is dozing off or not watching the road, and uses audible and visual alerts to grab the person’s attention. If the alerts don’t work, a representative with OnStar  will activate the vehicle’s intercom and communicate with the driver. If the driver still doesn’t respond, the car will pull over on the side of the highway and stop.
Super Cruise driver monitoring is one piece of GM’s approach to a safer self-driving platform. Super Cruise will be limited to highways that have detailed map information available; if the driver leaves the highway, Super Cruise shuts down.

Super Cruise is expected to launch with the 2017 Cadillac CT6, but GM has previously stated it will delay the technology should it require further refinements.

Keep it between the lines,
Be safe.

Driver Safety - Technology - Cadillac

Technology has come a long way in a short amount of time. Remember (some of us) back in the day, watching or reading Sci-Fi movies and  books, where all kinds of crazy electronic gadgets were being used. Star Trek (debuted in 1966) , 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Nineteen Eighty-Four (a novel by George Orwell published in 1949), and even the Jetsons ( an animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, originally airing in prime-time from 1962–1963). Who would have ever thought that what once was Science Fiction has become reality. It is all simply amazing.
The innovative technology behind Cadillac's newer breed of automobiles is a confirmation that our world as we view it is still being redesigned. Cadillac has been paying attention, and has made great observations as to what has needed to be improved on. What is and what will be required to maintain our safety when we are riding and driving on the roadways.
 “Super Cruise,” Cadillac’s semi-autonomous technology is capable of fully automatic steering, braking and lane-centering under certain driving conditions.
Many of the building block technologies for Super Cruise, (a self-driving car should be available by mid decade) are already available on the all-new 2013 Cadillac XTS and ATS luxury sedans, as part of the available Driver Assist Package. It is the first Cadillac system to use sensor fusion to provide 360 degrees of crash risk detection and enhanced driver assist features, including:

• Rear Automatic Braking
• Full-Speed Range Adaptive Cruise Control 
• Intelligent Brake Assist 
• Forward Collision Alert 
• Safety Alert Seat 
• Automatic Collision Preparation 
• Lane Departure Warning 
• Side Blind Zone Alert 
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert 
• Adaptive Forward Lighting 
• Rear Vision Camera With Dynamic Guidelines 
• Head Up Display 

With all of these new technologies in place, there still needs to be some serious road testing, to be sure that all the systems are working properly.  The latest testing ground.....The Brooklyn Bridge.
The Brooklyn Bridge’s intricate metal design and traffic volume allowed General Motors engineers to refine the radar sensors so they can tell the difference between stationary objects like guard rails and bridge structure from vehicle traffic. More than 120,000 vehicles, 4,000 pedestrians and 3,100 bicyclists cross the Brooklyn Bridge every day. Making it an ideal testing ground. "Metal structures can “confuse” some types of radar into detecting a vehicle or obstacle is approaching, causing an unnecessary warning or action from the safety systems,” said Jim Nickolaou.

About 2,000 scenarios were identified to test the sensors and radars, things such as weather, traffic volume, lighting, and radar reflections, all of which can impact radar systems or other sensors in the car. All this information was collected to anticipate a range of real-world conditions, which was needed to refine the development of the Sensor Fusion software, which is the link between driver safety and Cadillac's innovative technology.

Cadillac has been a leader in developing technology since 1902 and continues it's legacy. The future is here!
No, we are not at The Jetsons level yet... but we are getting closer with each passing year.

Keep it between the lines,
Happy Motoring.

Biggs Cadillac Buick GMC has been in the business of selling and servicing automobiles for 30 years. We are proud to be apart of this industry and take great pride in putting "Customer Satisfaction" as the number one priority.