Tesla wants to use mmWave sensors to make cars safer for children

Tesla has asked the Federal Communications Commission if it can use millimeter-wave sensors in their cars. With the mmWave radar, Tesla says it can recognize children in cars, so that airbags can work better, for example.

According to an FCC announcement document, this is a device that operates in the 60-64GHz frequency band and targets the interior of the car, but also scans up to two meters outside the car. When the device scans outside the car, it could detect if a window is broken or if someone is breaking in. Reuters writes that the device would use four transmit antennas and three receive antennas.

Tesla claims that the mmWave radar offers advantages over cameras or seat sensors, such as being able to detect depth and see ‘through’ soft materials such as blankets. That way, a child wrapped in a blanket could still be noticed. The millimeter wave sensors could also detect breathing rhythms and heartbeats, allowing the car to recognize the difference between an object and a person. With this, the warning signals for a seat belt that is not in use would sound less often if there is an object on a chair instead of, for example, a child.

The sensors could also better estimate a person’s body size. With this data, the airbags can be used better, the company claims. With the mmWave sensors, the car must also recognize when a child has been left in a warm car and thus prevent a child from dying in an overheated car. It is not clear whether the owner of the car will receive a signal, or whether the car will activate a Dog Mode-like function.

Currently, the mmWave sensors in the United States are only allowed to be used if they are operating within a range of -10dBm and + 10dBm. Tesla wants its radar to work with a higher power and has requested permission from the FCC. Google, among others, has previously received permission for the Soli radar in certain Pixel phones. The FCC is now asking Americans for their opinion on Tesla’s mmWave sensors.