Buying an expensive car? Then you'll want Neo-Trac in there...
A new system developed by Unipart (a UK-based car parts and logistics company) will automatically alert the police if a car is involved in a serious accident or is stolen. Called Neo-Trac, the sophisticated black box device pinpoints the exact position of the vehicle using satellite tracking, linked with computerised mapping.
In the event of an accident, if a motorist ends up upside-down, unconscious in a ditch, the system takes over, alerting the police. And if a Neo-Trac car is stolen, police can track it safely at a distance without the thief knowing and when the car stops, remotely disable the engine.
‘Accident monitoring is an additional feature of Neo-Trac, offering a brand new service where standards have yet to be defined. Clearly, this is cutting-edge technology, so we’re actively pursuing the need for independent testing and new standards for aftermarket systems where none presently exist,’ says Unipart’s project leader, Chris Skillen.
‘There is eCall, a project of the European Commission intended to bring rapid assistance to motorists based on the 112 universal emergency telephone number adopted by GSM mobile networks. This is aimed at equipping new cars with the technology to automatically send an accident alert. Although the terms of eCall are not yet fully defined, we do expect Neo-Trac to meet all the requirements,’ says Skillen. ‘Meanwhile, what Neo-Trac can do today is help address this issue for existing vehicles by automatically alerting our monitoring centre, which in turn will inform the police,’ he adds.
Neo-Trac’s advanced technology includes a motion sensor that detects abrupt changes in speed or direction of the vehicle and is activated within micro-seconds if the car runs into something, is shunted from behind or turns over. If activated, trained staff at the Neo-Trac Secure Operating Centre will alert the police station closest to the car for a swift response.
‘If the driver is unconscious or unable to make a call for help, then Neo-Trac will have ensured that help is already on its way, potentially helping to save the lives of the vehicle occupants,’ says Skillen.
To deal with car theft, Neo-Trac employs one of the most powerful GPS receivers available, which is used in combination with the latest mobile communications and radio frequency identification technologies to pinpoint a stolen car’s precise location,.
The system can even sense when signal strength is poor and automatically boosts its performance making a vehicle easier to locate in remote areas as well as underground car parks or garages.
These latest technologies enable a vehicle to be tracked night and day if necessary right around the globe and certainly throughout Europe.
The Neo-Trac security and safety monitoring solution is available in the UK, in a range of packages starting from the equivalent of Rs 50,000 and above. Plus, there is also an annual fee of about Rs 15,000. The device comes with a three-year warranty.
While not yet available in India, such a device and the accompanying service could certainly be very useful in the country. Buyers of high-end luxury cars in India should, we suppose, definitely be interested in installing such a system in their cars! For more details, visit the Neo-Trac website here.
