Optimus, a provider of public safety technology, has been awarded a Federal Highway Administration research grant to develop a pedestrian alert system (PAS) using Global Positioning System technology.

An Infiniti Q45 from Optimus (Silver Spring, Md.) will be used for prototype development and testing of the PAS, which will use location information supplied by GPS satellites to alert drivers and pedestrians about “warning zones” at crossings. The PAS, for which initial proof of concept research has been completed, will include both a pedestrian and vehicle module, each equipped with a GPS receiver and corresponding radio transmitter.

Information about the pedestrian’s position and velocity will be broadcast from a watch-like device and relayed to the automobile operator and the pedestrian. The system will provide a minimum of three seconds warning, function in all weather, and a participating driver will be capable of mutually tracking forty or more pedestrians.