Noam Gill GBAS System

							                                                         A safer way to brake your car
GBAS will alert drivers behind you of your exact type of braking (whether gradual slowing down, slowing to
a stop or emergency stopping) thus cutting down the possibility of accidents due to distance miscalculation.
The GBAS system senses whether the driver is pressing lightly on the brake pedal or firmly enough to come to a stop -
and if so, how abruptly. In this way the system differentiates between the three typical braking types and alerts the
driver behind accordingly, by altering the strength and brightness of the brake lights. The system is cheap and could
easily and quickly be installed in the brake light wiring of any car. (1)
Mechanics: The GBAS system includes two switches connected to the brake pedal, unlike today’s single ultra-sensitive
switch. The extra switch activates only when the driver presses the brake pedal deeply enough to cause the car to slow
down significantly. The switch activation depth can be altered when installed, according to the individual car.
Information from the two switches passes through an electronic board which measures the type of braking used and
accordingly modifies the current that passes from the battery to the lights. The three functions are:
• Gradual slowing: When the driver presses gently on the brakes only the first (original) switch is activated. In this
instance the system causes the lights to illuminate at just over the minimum permitted by law.
• Regular slowing to a stop: With deeper pressure on the brakes both switches are activated. The system then
calculates, based on the time which passes between the first switch to the second, if it is an abrupt emergency stop or
not. If the time which passes is relatively long, the system recognizes that it is a regular stop and the lights go on at
about today’s average brightness. The time frame between both switch activations is roughly estimated at 0.5 seconds,
but this is still to be professionally calculated.
• Sudden stop: Both switches are activated with less than 0.5 seconds in between. The system detects an abrupt stop
and the lights ignite brightly, close to the maximum allowed (about a fog light intensity).
Main Alternatives and Competition: BMW has a similar system called Adaptive Brake that is connected to the ABS
system. However, the BMW system detects emergency stopping but does not differentiate between gradual slowing and
stopping, giving away less information. Moreover, the system is limited to a few models and relies on an ABS system.
Costs: One of the beauties of the GBAS system is its simplicity and low manufacturing costs, making it accessible to
drivers at a reasonable price. Initial development costs, including prototype, board design, casing mold, etc., are
estimated at $4000-$6000. Manufacturing costs, including an extra switch, wiring and a cased electronic board, are
estimated at about $10-$12 per unit.
Survey: 104 people participated, ages from 21 to 84, of which 51% were willing to pay over 200 NIS for the system (15%
over 400 NIS). The survey shows that people believe they use the brakes for emergency stops only about 5% of the time,
while about 50% of the time for slowing down. This suggests that, as the present brake lights for emergency stops and
slowing down are identical, people are more likely to react to the lights as a slowing down sign than as an emergency
stopping sign. In fact, the way people differentiate between an emergency stop and slowing down, is by driving toward
the vehicle ahead, gauging how quickly they are getting closer- a risky method that wastes precious time and distance.
Pricing and Local Market: In Israel there are over 2.5M cars (2). According to the survey, at a price of 250 NIS and
installation charges of about 100 NIS, I estimate the local market for the GBAS system to be about 200K-300K cars.
Points for Farther Consideration and Examination: This type of system probably needs to go through regulations,
for which costs and duration are yet to be estimated. Exact minimum and maximum levels of brightness of brake lights
permitted by law are also to be obtained in order to correctly adjust the system. For deeper market penetration it is
important to contact insurance companies that might be interested in subsidizing the system for their customers.


               GBAS – Braking your car without breaking your car
         For more information about the GBAS system and about the survey taken: http://www.nsgsites.co.il/104915/gbas

    (1) For this venture proposal, especially the details of mechanics and costs, I consulted with an electronic engineer, an electronic board
        designer, a motor mechanic and a car electrical mechanic.
    (2) Car statistics from “Or Yarok”, based on data from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics http://www.oryarok.org.il/?p=2336