GM has illustrated one more way in which it is using wireless technology to improve safety.

The carmaker says it is developing a feature that would rely on Wi-Fi Direct to help detect pedestrians and bicyclists. Ford says that its researchers have determined that Wi-Fi Direct can be integrated with detection and alert systems already available on many of today's cars.

Of course, the pedestrians and bicyclists would also have to be carrying smartphones with Wi-Fi Direct.

To increase their own safety, persons frequently in roads - such as construction workers or bike messengers - could download an app to their smartphones that would allow them to be identified by passing vehicles.

"This new wireless capability could warn drivers about pedestrians who might be stepping into the roadway from behind a parked vehicle, or bicyclists who are riding in the car's blind spot," Nady Boules, GM Global R&D director of the Electrical and Control Systems Research Lab, said in a statement. "Wi-Fi Direct has the potential to become an integral part of the comprehensive driver assistance systems we offer on many of our Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC vehicles."

Wi-Fi Direct is desirable because it bypasses the need for a cell tower and makes it possible for devices to connect in approximately one second, while other wireless systems may take up to seven or eight seconds to identify and connect.

"Wi-Fi Direct's fast connections offer a distinct advantage in vehicle applications," Donald Grimm, a GM researcher, said in a statement. "The quicker a vehicle can detect other Wi-Fi Direct users, the greater the potential for collision avoidance."

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