ATLANTA — Mack Trucks said Monday that Bendix Wingman Fusion with enhanced features is now available on its Mack Anthem and Mack Pinnacle models.
The camera- and radar-based driving assistance solution helps mitigate the potential for accidents, improving highway safety for travelers on the roadway, according to Roy Horton, director of product strategy for Mack Trucks.
Mack made the announcement during the 2019 North American Commercial Vehicle show October 28-31 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
Now in its second generation, Bendix Wingman Fusion offers collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning. The enhanced version improves Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), lane-keeping support, multi-lane continuation of AEB and driver awareness support.
“Mack is a strong believer in implementing technology to increase safety on our highways,” Horton said. “The enhanced version of Bendix Wingman Fusion offers additional support, helping the driver effectively maneuver down the road when unforeseen events could occur.”
According to Bendix, the improved Wingman Fusion system is an active safety feature that offers audible warnings and AEB to help maintain a safe following distance from the vehicle in front of the truck.
AEB in the new Wingman Fusion system can now reduce traveling speeds from up to 50 mph instead of 35 mph being the limit. Using a radar sensor inset into the front bumper to detect the angle, distance and speed of the front object, along with a windshield-mounted camera, the system monitors large metallic objects and can detect them from a range of 22 degrees wide and about 500 feet in front of the truck.
“Thanks to the combination of radar and camera sensors, Wingman Fusion is very effective in conditions that affect visibility, such as rain, smoke, fog or snow,” Horton said. “The camera also helps when objects are not easily identified or are not detected by radar, providing a second level of safety.”
Also with Bendix Wingman Fusion, audible and visual warnings are enacted if a stationary metallic object is detected ahead.
Brakes will be applied if the truck’s speed is above 15 mph, whether or not cruise control is engaged. The driver will be notified up to 3.5 seconds before impact, and if the driver doesn’t take action, brakes will engage.
New multi-lane continuation of AEB enables the driver to change to an adjacent lane to avoid a potential forward collision, and as long as AEB is active, the system will apply the brakes if another vehicle is detected.
Lane departure assistance alerts the driver during unintentional lane deviation. The enhanced version continues with audible warnings if the driver does not take corrective action.
Bendix Wingman Fusion is installed at Lehigh Valley Operations in Macungie, Pennsylvania, where all Mack truck models for North America and export are assembled.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
