Feds unlock bandwidth use for life-saving technologies

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted Thursday to allow the use of specific bandwidth frequencies for life-saving radar technologies, including technology that can detect children left behind in hot cars.

It's a win for automakers, who have been testing the cutting-edge technology in certain model vehicles since 2021.

The innovative radar technology can not only monitor children left in dangerously hot cars but also be used to detect the breathing of premature infants in intensive care units.

Dubbed "Cabin Awareness" by Toyota, the radar technology has the ability to "sense the slightest movement of a child and initiate a driver notification that someone was left unattended in the vehicle," according to the auto industry trade group Alliance for Automotive Innovation.

The Alliance, along with automakers and child safety advocates, have been pressing the FCC to approve the use of the bandwidth for some time, starting when major automakers agreed to equip US vehicles with systems that remind drivers of passengers or pets in back seats by 2025.

“Today the @FCC adopted new rules for the 60 GHz spectrum band that empower short-range radars for tech such as 'hot car' sensors, healthcare monitoring and emergency response drones,” the FCC posted.

“The new rules will accelerate the time for these devices to reach the marketplace for use by consumers and in commercial applications,” the FCC said.

Since 1990, there have been over 1000 children who have died in a hot car, 88% of them three years old and younger. In over half of fatalities, the child was left by accident, according to the non-profit group Kids and Car Safety.

"One of the most dangerous mistakes a parent or caregiver can make is to think leaving a child alone in a vehicle could never happen to them or their family," the group said.

Other driver assistance features supported by the life-saving technology include pedestrian detection, lane departure warnings, seatbelt reminders, and airbag deployment controls.

FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said the short radar technology can be "used for real-time traffic management that can reduce congestion and increase safety for the vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians who share our roads."

The FCC said the decision will also expand the use of vehicle drones to assist in construction, emergency rescue, and commercial applications.

The consensus on technical and operational guidelines will allow continued innovation for both communication devices and radar applications in the 60 GHz band, the FCC noted.